Fierce Conversation with God II: Grief
presentation at Adult Forum by Jo Bailey WellsFebruary 27th, 2011
Patterns of the Life of Faith
(a) being securely oriented
(b) being painfully disoriented
(c) being surprisingly reoriented (Walter Brueggemann, The Psalms and the Life of Faith (Fortress, 1995)
Types of laments
- Corporate lament E.g. Psalms 12, 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 90, 94, 123, 126, 129
- Personal lament E.g. Psalms 3, 4, 5, 7, 9-10, 13, 14, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27*, 28, 31, 36*, 39, 40:12-17, 41, 42-43, 52*, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 64, 69, 70, 71, 77, 86, 89*, 120, 139, 141, 142
- Lament of repentance E.g. Ps.6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143
- Lament of imprecation E.g. Psalms 35, 69, 88, 109, 137, 140
STRUCTURE OF THE "LAMENT" PSALM
- INTRODUCTORY CRY: "O God," "Help me . . ."
- LAMENT PROPER: "I'm hurting," "The enemy is winning . . . "
- Introduction to pain and hurt being experienced.
- Addresses God directly, and may be accusatory, for inattention to plight.
- Calls attention to success of the wicked.
- CONFESSION OF TRUST: "I still trust in You . . ."
- REASONS FOR GOD TO ACT: "I've been a good person."
- PETITIONS: "Hear me . . ." "Save me . . ."
Psalm 13
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, "I have prevailed"; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
"We are mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore" (Howard Beal in Network)
Features of Lament
- Not religious: in the sense of courtesy, politeness or deference
- Hyperbole
- Yet calls God by name
- And expects a response
Further Reading
- Eugene Peterson, Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer (Harper, 1991). Beautifully crafted and inspiring guide for appreciating (even the difficult) features of the Psalms and using them in personal prayer.
- Walter Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit(Cascade, 2007). A short guide, which both nurtures and challenges.
- Sally A. Brown & Patrick D Miller (eds), Lament: Reclaiming Practices in Pulpit, Pew and Public Square (Westminster John Knox, 2007). A little more technical, much of written as a response to 9-11.