Write Your Own Lament
"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." - Psalm 62:8 ESV
this lament writing exercise is drawn from this article
ARTICLE: The Need For A Lament
What Is A Lament And Why Is It Particularly Christian?
What Is A Lament?
The Loss Of Lament
"A lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow that the writer has experienced or observed. In lament, we do not hide from the tension of tragedy, or pretend to have it all together before God. We bring our most intense and disturbed theological questions right into God’s presence. In lament, vague half-hearted wonderings ("We would like to ask You why this might be happening.") are transformed to bold and honest speech ("How long, O Lord, will You forget me forever?"). In lament, we express solidarity with the wronged. Our questions and protests honor the legitimate suffering we and others are experiencing." - Jim Martin
"Lament psalms teach us that it's never wrong to cry out to God. God hears us in our pain and welcomes us close." - Jessica Brodie
"A complaint is an accusation against God that maligns His character, but a lament is an appeal to God based on confidence in His character." - John Packiam
"But lament is different than crying because lament is a form of prayer. It is more than just the expression of sorrow or the venting of emotion. Lament talks to God about pain. And it has a unique purpose: trust. It is a divinely-given invitation to pour out our fears, frustrations, and sorrows for the purpose of helping us to renew our confidence in God." - John Matthis
"For the Christian, our lament, when taken to our Father in heaven, is proof of our relationship with God, our connection to a great Caregiver." - John Packiam
“Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelm us.” - Jerry Bridges
"Nearly all the laments move from the negative to positive, from sorrow to joy, and from fear to trust. The laments represent the journey of the soul." - Christina Fox
While crying is fundamental to humanity, Christians lament because they know God is sovereign and good. Christians know His promises in the Scriptures. We believe in God’s power to deliver. We know the tomb is empty, and Jesus is alive. And yet we still experience pain and sorrow. Lament is the language for living between the poles of a hard life and trusting in God’s sovereignty. It is a prayer form for people who are waiting for the day Jesus will return and make everything right. Christians don’t just mourn; we long for God to end the pain. Lament prayers take faith. Talking to God instead of getting sinfully angry or embittered requires biblical conviction. Laying out the messy struggles of your soul and then asking — again and again — for God to help you requires a solid theological mooring. Laments turn toward God when sorrow tempts you to run from Him... Therefore, Christians not only mourn the brokenness of the world, but we also long for the day when all weeping will cease. We wonder, “How long, O Lord?” (Psalm 13:1). Anyone can cry. But only Christians can faithfully lament." - John Matthis
“When we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, then somehow, God is praying within us for the pain around us”. - NT Wright
Examples of Laments in the Bible
In the book of Psalms, there are more psalms of lament than any other type of psalm. The Psalms can be divided into two major categories: Individual & Communal. Most of the Psalms of lament are personal in nature (individual) but a handful are laments for a whole people (communal).
Individual Psalms of Lament: Psalm 6, Psalm 13, Psalm 22, Psalm 25, Psalm 31, Psalm 38, Psalm 42, Psalm 43, Psalm 77, Psalm 130, Psalm 86 (Other Individual Psalms of Lament: 3, 28, 44, 56, 57, 71, 77, 142)
Communal Psalms of Lament: Psalm 10, Psalm 12, Psalm 44, Psalms 60, Psalm 74, Psalm 79, Psalm 80, Psalm 85, Psalm 90
STEPS: Write Your Own Lament
Psalmic laments can have up to seven parts, although not all parts are present in every lament, and the ordering of the parts is often unique to each Psalm. Use this basic structure to create your own lament. Your own lament can be a simple and powerful prayer expressing your complaint to God and asking for specific help. You don’t need to labor over this for a long time. One or two simple, clear lines per category below is all it takes. 1. Address God Directly
“O Lord”, “Mighty King”, “Lover of Justice”, etc
What role does God play in this situation? What name do you ascribe to Him?
2. Review God's Faithfulness In The Past
“For He divided the sea and led them through, making the water stand up like walls”. - Psalm 78
How has God been faithful to you in the past? How has He shown up?
3. Express The Complaint
“I am forgotten, cut off from Your care. You have thrown me into the lowest pit and the darkest depths.” - Psalm 88
What is the source of your grief, sorrow or anger? What painful situation is before you?
Feel free to be specific here and include more than just a couple of sentences if it helps.
4. Confess A Sin Or Defend A Claim Of Innocence (Optional)
“Because of Your great compassion blot out the stain of my sin.” - Psalm 51 | “O Lord my God I have done wrong.” - Psalm 7 | “I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. I am blameless before God.” - Psalm 18
Is there anything within you that aches for forgiveness? How have you failed to trust and obey God, or conversely, in what ways have you been faithful?
5. Ask Boldly For Help
“Listen to my prayer O God, do not ignore my cry for help! Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.” - Psalm 55
What specific thing are you asking God to do? In what ways do you long to see Him move?
6. Respond In Faith/Declare The Character Of God
“But You have been our King from the beginning, O God; You have saved us many times.” - Psalm 74
Recount the ways in which God has responded to your suffering in the past. What evidence do you have that He will show up again? Who do you know God to be based on your experiences with Him?
7. Choose To Praise And Trust In God
“The Lord has heard my plea; The Lord will answer my prayer.” - Psalm 6 | “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again, my Savior and my God. Now I am deeply discouraged but I will remember You.” - Psalm 42 | “I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen I will pray as long as I have breath!” - Psalm 116
Looking beyond your current circumstances, what are the reasons God is nevertheless worthy of praise and trust? Articulate these as clearly and honestly as you can.
Example #1 of A Modern-Day Lament
O Lord, we turn to You on this hard and painful day. We look to You, the author of life and the giver of grace, because our hearts are broken with grief. A young man, so full of life and joy, is gone.
We grieve the loss of Tyler.
How long, O Lord, must cancer steal our loved ones away? This evil disease doesn’t fit with your goodness. It mars, destroys, and kills. We hate its presence in the world.
Lord, we prayed for healing. And Your answer is hard to accept. We watched our friend and brother persevere. Twenty years doesn’t seem long enough for Tyler. We long for the day when osteosarcoma is no longer a part of our vocabulary — or our prayers. We’d rather have a different ending to this story.
Yet we know that You have purposes beyond what we can see.
We witnessed glimpses of your plan in the meteoric rise of Tyler’s story. We marveled at the favor and the kindness showered upon him through his journey. We rejoiced at the platform You gave him to share his faith in Jesus.
Lord, we ask You to bring comfort to Tyler’s family. They’ve walked beside him through this journey. They need your grace both now and in the months and years to come.
We pray for wisdom and creativity for those researching the treatment for Tyler’s cancer. We ask that his donated tumor and the money raised might yield life-saving options for future cancer patients. Would You heal many from Tyler’s death?
But even more, Jesus, we ask for Your name to be lifted high through Tyler’s life.
You were the bedrock of his strength. You were the one who captivated his heart and gave him hope as his physical strength declined. We pray that thousands — even millions — of people will be led to the kind of relationship that Tyler shared with You.
On this hard day, O Lord, we choose to trust You. We believe You have ordained eternal purposes that we can’t see right now. We believe You gave Tyler every grace he needed to persevere.
We believe Jesus rose from the dead so that one day our tears will be wiped away once and for all. Through our pain and questions, we rest our hope in the One who said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). We know this was the strength that made Tyler strong. We saw it. Tyler lived it.
In Jesus’s name, Amen
Example #2 of A Modern-Day Lament
Almighty God, Creator of all, things are getting really bad here. Are you paying attention?
When Hagar cried out to you in pain, she called you El Roi—the God who sees. Are you seeing what is happening to your children?
Our neighbors are suffering from fear and anxiety.
They don’t know if they will get sick. They don’t know how they will pay their rent. They have no idea when this will end.
We are no longer able to pretend that we have any control over this thing called life, and we grieve that loss.
Our comforting rituals of gathering–from church services to theater performances to sporting events–have been taken from us.
Our medical professionals are besieged by this virus and lack the equipment and personnel they need to fight this unseen enemy.
Our parents are weary from juggling too many roles from the confines of their homes—teacher, parent, employee, mediator and coach.
Our elders are feeling isolated and alienated.
Our unsheltered neighbors cannot stay at home, as they have no homes. Our prisoners (and those who work with them) are especially vulnerable because of their close quarters.
Our loved ones are dying alone.
God, protect those on the front lines who provide medical care, food and medicine. Protect our truckers, the ones who pick up our garbage and those who keep public transportation moving.
Infuse in us the peace that surpasses all understanding, so that our fear of the virus doesn’t become worse that the virus itself.
Give our leaders a spirit of cooperation, and the courage to do what’s right for the people they serve.
Make the minds of our researchers and the hands of our government move swiftly to develop and distribute more testing materials.
Grant a sense of urgency to those who are mobilizing to make more masks, more ventilators and more of the tools we need in the fight against this growing epidemic.
Deliver us from this invasion that has upended us.
Our trust is in you, O God—even though it may waiver from time to time.
All blessing and honor, glory and might to You, Magnificent God.
We know that You are, indeed, the God who sees.
You are our rock, our peace and our salvation.
We know that we are held in the palm of Your hand. Selah
Laments In Song
You say You're near to the broken
You say Your peace passes understanding
You say You're hope for the hurting
Where are You now
Come close, I'm on the verge of breaking
Come close, I'm desperate for Your presence
Come close, the weight of pain is crushing
Come close
She touched Your hem and You healed her
You opened eyes with the dirt we walk on
When will I wake from this nightmare
Where are You now? Where are You now?
You are good, You are good, I believe You are good
You are good, You are good, I still believe You are good
You are good, You are good, I believe You are good
You are good, You are good, I still believe that You are good
So come close, I'm on the verge of breaking
Come close, I'm desperate for Your presence
Come close, the weight of pain is crushing
Come close, if You're not scared of my questions
Where are You now?
I cry aloud to God
aloud to God and He will hear me
In the day of my troubled soul
I reach out and seek You, Lord
but I can't feel You
In the night of my pain
darkness falls, questions rage
Have You forsaken?
O God, have You left me all alone?
You keep my eyes from sleep
so troubled I cannot speak a word
I consider the days of old
when I felt Your love and held Your hope
Where have they gone?
In the night of my pain
faith has fled, doubts remain
Have you forsaken?
O God, have You left me all alone?
Your ways, O God, Your ways, O God, are holy, holy