Psalms of Lament

 Psalms: 3-7, 10, 13, 14, 17, 22, 25-28, 31, 35, 38-43, 51-59, 61, 64, 69-71, 77, 86, 88, 89, 102, 109, 120, 130, 139, 141-143 


Create Your Own Psalm of Lament

These psalms fall into the broad categories of: individual or communal (group), or both. Their basic structure includes:

  1. Calling upon God

  2. Describing a complaint (individual or communal)

  3. Remembering God’s faithfulness in the past and how God helped before

  4. Asking for help from God

  5. Declaring trust in God

Read through one of the psalms listed above. Make it your own. Does a certain stanza really resonate? Copy it down and then keep talking/writing. Complain, cry, moan. God can take it. Then ask what you need. Finish with declaring about what you believe, the truth of who God is, and declare your trust in God. (if you need to add this, “I believe, help my unbelief!” )

Prayer

Lord, we cry out to you from the depths of our lives. You are our God, we are your people. Hear our prayer:  Hurt, confusion, and sorrow surround us and hit us like a treacherous storm. 

How long, o Lord?  How long shall we continue to struggle, to see others suffer from injustice? Come quickly, O Lord.  Come, Jesus, have mercy on us.  

We lift our eyes to you, we wait, we hope. 

WE TRUST because you are faithful and we believe that you will restore us,

you will rescue us!

You are our rock, our deliverer!  You come in the morning and bring us hope and life! 

Amen and Amen!