But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. — Psalm 13:5-6, NIV
These five steps come from the book of Psalms. Psalms of lament make up one third of all the Psalms. There are individual lament psalms and community lament psalms. Lean into these Psalms of lament, find your own sorrows written in these Scriptures, and commune with God in your suffering.
Individual Laments
Individual laments give us the words when we may not have any. They are for our personal sufferings. Psalm 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 22, 25, 26 and 27 are examples.
Community Laments
The Psalmists also wrote psalms of lament in community. These are classified by their focus on expressing deep sorrow for the world’s suffering and asking for God’s blessing and intervention. These include Psalm 12, 44, 58, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 89 90, 94, 123, 126 and 129.
Let this be a gentle reminder that amid your pain — when it feels like the world is caving in on you and your hope is scarce — that you have a father waiting for you with open arms. Suffering is real, but it will not hold the last word! There is power in your prayer of lament. Revelation 21:4-5 says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true,'" (NIV).
If you desire to learn more about lament or other spiritual practices, consider attending Grand Canyon University’s Spiritual Formation workshops or adding a Spiritual Formation and Discipleship Minor to your degree. Fill out the form on this page to learn more.