Response

PRAYER OF LAMENT

 

1. Start by reaching out to God saying that you need help, or support (Psalm 55:1 “Listen to my prayer, O      God”).  Here we are showing that even in times of crisis, we approach a personal and accessible God.

 

2. Then, our lament freely addresses this personal God through images used in direct address in the Psalms. We pray to Yahweh, the Rock, the Fortress, the Hiding Place (no wrong answer here…use the Psalms as a guide). 

​

3. Our prayer continues with bold lament. We bring our most intense theological questions right before God. 

1. Don’t hold back. 

2. What is bothering you? 

3. What do you want to say? 

4. Sometimes we don’t have questions, we simply need to tell God the state we are in and how we are feeling.

   •  “I am lonely,” “I am so tired,” “I am so angry at you,” “I am so angry at myself."

​

4. Then our prayer continues with a specific ask or petition: heal us, free us, save us.

​

5. Finally, our prayer ends with expressions of hope, confidence, and trust, however far away they might feel given the present situation.