Prayer of Lament

What is Prayer

A conversation with God.

When you pray with someone else, it’s a 3 way conversation.

What is Lament

Feeling and speaking reality. Laments see the whole picture and feel both the bad and the hope.

Prayer is directed to God

Voices the totality of human experience including the pain, grief, darkness, and evil

It is persuasive and aims to convince God to change his stand towards the one suffering and act decisively.

Laments in the Scripture end with praise to God.

Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible The Individual Laments

laments acknowledge that life does not consist of prosperity only, but that it also has pain, grief, darkness, and evil.

Biblical Example

Psalm 13 “For the choir director: A psalm of David. 1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? 3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. 4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.”

How do we do it?