Psalms of Lament - Tim Horman
On Sunday, Tim Horman shared the second message in our series on the Psalms - this time looking at Psalms of Lament.
Below you’ll find recordings of his message as well as a short summary of his sermon and some related discussion questions.
When Life Hurts: Embracing Lament in Our Walk with God
Life often throws us curveballs, doesn't it? There are moments when joy seems a distant memory, and all we feel is confusion, pain, or even anger. What do we do when our hearts are heavy and our prayers feel stuck?
Understanding the Heart of Lament
Tim began his message by sharing Psalm 13, a raw and honest cry from the heart of someone in deep distress: "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" This isn't just a fleeting bad mood; it's a passionate expression of grief and sorrow. As Tim explained, these are known as Psalms of Lament, and there are over 50 of them in the Bible! The Bible doesn't shy away from our pain; in fact, there’s a whole book called Lamentations dedicated to it. Even Jesus himself, a "man of sorrows acquainted with grief," quoted a Psalm of Lament from the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Lament isn't just a quiet sadness; it can be "loud and raw and gut-wrenching," taking the form of groaning, anguish, and even anger. While we might feel uncomfortable with such overt displays of emotion in our Western culture, the Psalms teach us that these are not only acceptable but sometimes "very necessary forms of prayer." Why? Because when we don't find healthy ways to express our pain, it often "will usually be transferred into something that becomes destructive or even deadly."
Many of us haven't been taught that it's okay to pray this way. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann suggests that by ignoring the Psalms of Lament, we inadvertently invite "great guilt" (thinking our suffering is our fault) or "great denial" (pretending everything is fine when it's not). The beauty of the Psalms of Lament, or as Brueggemann calls them, "Psalms of Disorientation," is that "they lift up and call attention to the reality of human loss and human pain without making moral judgments about them, without trying to apportion blame for whose fault it is, and without giving us easy answers." They help us process our pain and disappointment with God.
Connecting to Our Lives: A Place for Our Pain
So, how does this ancient practice connect with our modern lives? When we're overwhelmed with sorrow, when we don't have the words, when we're not sure if we can trust in God's goodness, or when we feel like screaming at God because it feels like He's abandoned us – that's when lament comes in. The Psalms give us the language for all those unspoken questions and emotions. They cover just about every human suffering: betrayal, injustice, loneliness, grief, depression, and loss.
Tim reminded us that "biblical faith is honest. It's realistic. Scripture never promises to you that you won't suffer or that life will always be easy." In fact, our faith in Jesus often brings to the surface "unresolvable tensions" as we live in the kingdom of God yet are still in a broken world. We believe God is good, just, and merciful, but we also experience injustice, pain, and loss. These two realities can crash together, leaving us disoriented.
The good news is that lament is the tool God provides to navigate these seasons. It's a prayer born in the painful friction between what we believe about God and what we're experiencing in life. And here's the beautiful truth: "God cannot heal in us what we are not prepared to give him access to." When we open up to God, even if "a whole bunch of really dark stuff initially flows out," God is okay with that. He has "big shoulders" and can handle our emotions.
Far from being a sign of weak faith, lament is actually an incredibly powerful act of faith. As Mark Vroegop says, "the practice of lament is one of the most theologically informed actions a person can take. While crying is fundamental to humanity, Christians lament because they know God is sovereign and good." It’s the language for living between a hard life and trusting in God’s sovereignty. It's our longing for God to act, knowing that our ultimate hope rests in the resurrection of Christ. As Tim powerfully put it, "The reason I can have hope in the midst of darkness is because I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And that is, in the end, my only hope."
Just like Mary at Lazarus's tomb, who cried out to Jesus, "If you'd been here, this would not have happened," Jesus didn't rebuke her. Instead, "Jesus weeps. He enters into her grief." He doesn't stand distant; He walks with us, not just to fix us, but to be with us in relationship, helping us process our pain and gently leading us back to hope and joy.
Walking Towards Hope
Lament isn't about wallowing; it's about acknowledging our pain, bringing it to God, and trusting that He meets us in it. Psalm 13 beautifully models this journey: from anguish, to petition, and finally, back to trust. It reminds us that even when we don't know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit "intercedes for us through wordless groans" (Romans 8:26). God groans with us!
When life hurts, we don't have to pretend we're fine. We can be honest with God, bringing our whole selves – our anger, our confusion, our tears – to Him. In doing so, we open the door for His healing presence to enter and begin the slow, gentle process of restoring our hope and trust.
One Way to Live it Out: This week, if you're carrying any pain, take a moment to intentionally express it to God. Write it down, speak it out loud, or simply sit in His presence with your tears. Don't worry about perfect words; just be honest.
A Prayer for your week: Heavenly Father, when our hearts are heavy and our souls are weary, thank you for giving us the gift of lament. Help us to be brave enough to bring our pain, our questions, and our raw emotions to you. We trust that you are big enough to handle our hurt, and that even in our groaning, your Spirit is interceding for us. Lead us gently from our grief back to hope, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reflection & Discussion Questions
For Personal Reflection:
When has life felt like a "Psalm of Lament" for you? What emotions did you experience during that time?
Do you find it easy or difficult to express raw emotions like anger or deep sorrow to God? Why do you think that is?
How does the idea that "God cannot heal in us what we are not prepared to give him access to" resonate with you?
For Small Group Discussion:
To start, what was one thing that stood out to you from Tim's sermon or this blog post?
Tim mentioned that many Christians haven't been taught how to lament. What have been your personal experiences or assumptions about expressing pain and disappointment to God?
Why do you think it's often difficult for us to be truly honest with God about our struggles, even when we know He is loving?
Tim highlighted that biblical faith "is honest" and "never promises that you won't suffer." How does this perspective change, or confirm, your understanding of faith?
The sermon described lament as "a prayer born in the painful friction between those two realities" (God's goodness and our suffering). Can you think of a time when you experienced this friction?
How does understanding that lament is an "act of faith" rather than a "faithless act" encourage you in difficult times?
How does the resurrection of Jesus provide hope when we are in seasons of lament?
Thinking about what we've discussed today, how can we better support one another in our group when someone is experiencing deep pain or grief, and how can we pray for each other right now?