PODCAST
Lament and Praise in Prayer
August 19th, 2021
Psalm 18:1-6
The book of Psalms contains songs of lament and praise. In Genesis 18, we see David praising God for deliverance from his enemies. The book of Psalms is also a prayer book that gives language to all the emotions that the psalmist experiences. We also see that both lament and praise are acceptable ways to pray.
The world is a broken place and is not fully reconciled to God. Thus, lament is appropriate when the ways of the world feel heavy and oppressive. Praise is also appropriate, and we see that many of the Psalms are songs of praise. In fact, toward the end of the book of Psalms, there are more prayers of praise than lament.
This Psalm of praise is a reminder the God is good. God is the rock that brings stability in our lives and a refuge whenever we are in need. The book of Psalms helps us to have language for our prayers, especially when, at times, we do not know what words to pray. These prayers of lament and praise are treasures and remind us that we can bring all our emotions to God in prayer.
Author: Cara Shonamon
