Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

Introduction

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had never seen Charlene so broken and they did not know how to fix her. This was not the plan. It did not fit the curriculum. Charlene left that day feeling profoundly alone and decided not to return. What a missed opportunity! If these women had known the Psalms, Charlene’s honest expression of pain would have resonated with Psalm 88, the darkest psalm:

I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength.

~ Ps 88:3–4

Charlene’s friends would have realized that praying with brutal honesty connects us deeply with God and guards against despair. They would have understood that such prayer is not only tolerated, but invited. After all, prayers like this one are part of sacred Scripture! When we pray the Psalms, we enlarge our capacity for healthy Christian community. When we pray the Psalms, we exercise our faith muscles. When we pray the Psalms, we make room for healing. This book invites us to sit and learn from men and women of ancient times who have suffered unimaginable grief, for they have discovered the riches of the Psalms for connecting with God during that sorrow. These believers have so much to teach us! What are we waiting for? Why Me? You already know one story of why the Psalms mean so much to me. But honestly, I did not feel qualified to write this book. I am an Old Testament scholar, not a historian.