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Writing Your Own Lament Psalm
Is there any kind of prayer in which we can engage when we feel
forsaken? Yes- we can begin by praying the Prayer of Complaint.
This is a form of prayer that has been largely lost in our modern,
sanitized religion, but the Bible abounds with it.
The best way I know to relearn this time-honored approach to God
is by praying that part of the Psalter traditionally known as the
“Lament Psalms.”
The lament Psalms teaches us to pray our inner conflicts and contradictions.
They allow us to shout out our forsakenness in the dark caverns
of abandonment. They give us permission to shake our fist at God
one moment and break into doxology the next.
Basic Pattern of Lament Psalms
Psalm 10
1. Complaint (v.1)
V A once sentence summary of the
complaint you want to bring to God
2. Description (v.2-11)
V A describing of the problem, as
long or short as you want
3. Reminder (v. 12-14)
V A promise of God; an attribute
of God; what God is bringing to your mind
4. Plea (v. 15)
V Your complaint reworded through
the lenses of your reminder
5. Resolution (v. 16-18)
V Statement of belief, confidence,
and trust in God; what you believe He will do based on your reminder,
statement of what God has just done in your heart through this
time of prayer, trial, etc…
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