Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

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Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

desire for justice, and had full authority to act on my behalf. I was never alone. I do not know your story, but it is a safe bet that you have been through trying circumstances, too. People you love have suffered. You have needed divine intervention. And if they have not already, the Psalms can become your lifeline, too. The alternative is precarious. When we neglect the Psalms, our prayers become flat and repetitive—there is much more to prayer than good health, the ability to pay bills, a good job interview , and finding food for our families . God invites us to bring our whole selves before him—the good, the bad, and the ugly—our joys and sorrows, our desperation and gratitude. When we fail to practice this kind of prayer, we cease to be the kind of community where those who suffer can find a home. Let me offer an example: My friend Charlene has been married fourteen years. She and her husband have watched as one after another of their friends’ bellies have bulged with new life. Their arms have ached to hold a child of their own, but after years of prayer and good diet and doctor visits and tests, her womb is still empty. As with all grief, theirs has ebbed and flowed. During one particularly intense season, where the loss felt especially acute, Charlene showed up at her women’s group at church. They were talking about prayer. Charlene could not hold it in any more. She exploded: I don’t understand why God isn’t answering our prayers. What are we doing wrong? We’ve tried everything! We’ve been serving him our entire marriage and yet he withholds from us the one thing we want most. How could God do this to us?! The room fell awkwardly silent. The ladies around the circle looked at the floor, or sideways at each other. They