Healing the Wounds of Trauma

LAMENTS

In Psalm 13.1 David asks, “How much longer will you forget me, Lord? Forever?” In verses 5 and 6 he says, “I rely on your constant love; I will be glad, because you will rescue me. I will sing to you, O Lord, because you have been good to me.” How can he say both of these things at the same time? They seem contradictory. One kind of psalm is a lament psalm. In a lament, people pour out their complaints to God in an effort to persuade him to act on their behalf, all the while stating their trust in him.* Laments can have seven parts: • Address to God (“O God”) • Review of God’s faithfulness in the past • A complaint • A confession of sin or claim of innocence • A request for help • God’s response (often not stated) • A vow to praise, statement of trust in God Not all parts are present in each lament, and they are not always in the same order. The only essential part is the complaint. Laments allow a person to fully express their grief, and even accuse God, but this is often followed by a statement of trust in God. This combination makes for very powerful prayers. The grief is not hidden, but the person does not stay in their grief—they call on God and express their faith in him. The laments encourage people to be honest with God, to speak the truth about their feelings and doubts. In a lament, people do not attempt to solve the problem them- selves, but they cry to God for help. They look to God, not the enemy, as the one ultimately in control of the situation. They ask God to *Sixty-seven of the Psalms are considered laments—more than any other type of Psalm. Some were for use by individuals; others were used by the community together. The individual lament Psalms are: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9–10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 69, 70, 71, 77, 86, 88, 94, 102, 109, 120, 130, 140, 141, 142, 143. The com- munity lament Psalms are: 12, 14, 44, 53, 58, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 90, 106, 108, 123, 126, 137.

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What Happens When Someone Is Grieving?