The Psalms as Christian Lament, a companion volume to The Psalms as Christian Worship, uniquely blends verse-by-verse commentary with a history of Psalms interpretation in the church from the time of the apostles to the present. Bruce Waltke, James Houston, and Erika Moore examine ten lament psalms, including six of the seven traditional penitential psalms, covering Psalms 5, 6, 7, 32, 38, 39, 44, 102, 130, and 143. The authors -- experts in the subject area -- skillfully establish the meaning of the Hebrew text through careful exegesis and trace the church's historical interpretation and use of these psalms, highlighting their deep spiritual significance to Christians through the ages. Though C. S. Lewis called the "imprecatory" psalms "contemptible," Waltke, Houston, and Moore show that they too are profitable for sound doctrine and so for spiritual health, demonstrating that lament is an important aspect of the Christian life.

The brokenness of this world inevitably invades our lives. But how do you maintain faith when overwhelmed by grief? When prayer goes unanswered? When all you have are questions, not answers? What do you say to God when you know he is in control but the suffering continues unabated? Is there any alternative to remaining speechless in the midst of pain and heartbreak? This book is about finding words to use when life is hard. These words are not new. They are modes of expression that the church has drawn on in times of grief throughout most of its history. Yet, the church in the West has largely abandoned these words--the psalms of lament. The result is that believers often struggle to know what to do or say when faced with distress, anxiety, and loss. Whether you are in Christian leadership, training for ministry, or simply struggling to reconcile experience with biblical convictions, Finding Lost Words will help you consider how these ancient words can become your own.

Here beloved poet Ann Weems offers a poignant rendering of her own personal psalms of lament. She draws from the rich heritage of Scripture to give voice to the grief and anguish she has felt. Her words will deeply move anyone who has mourned.

Two respected scholars explore the heart of the Psalms Following in the style of their companion volumes, The Psalms as Christian Worship and The Psalms as Christian Lament, Bruce Waltke and James Houston now explore the depths of Christian praise. Each volume uniquely blends verse-by-verse commentary with a history of Psalms interpretation in the church from the time of the apostles to the present. Since praise is the essence of the book of Psalms, Waltke and Houston have narrowed the focus to Book IV of the Psalter (Psalms 90-106), which magnify God and proclaim him king. To give voice to the psalmist, the authors (carefully) translate and explain each psalm and summarize its theological message. This is followed by listening to the voice of godly churchmen whose comments have stood the test of time. The Psalms as Christian Praise is ideal for anyone seeking to better understand the praise of Israel as found in the Psalms and how Christians also use these Psalms in worship.

Praise and lament are two major approaches to praying to God. In this book, Claus Westermann investigates these primary categories of the Psalms and shows their meaning for prayer and worship. He contrasts the Old Testament Psalms with those of Babylon and Egypt indicating their distinctive characteristics. Sensitively written and carefully reasoned, Westermann's book will be valued for the clear-cut way it brings light to the character of the ancient Psalms of Israel.

Six scholars trace the role of lamentation in the Old and New Testaments in A Time for Sorrow: Recovering the Practice of Lament in the Life of the Church, reflecting on the theological significance of lament, affirming the ongoing relevance of lamentation in the life of the church, and exploring its biblical roots and application in church practice. In a church era dominated by positive thinking and slick, upbeat “worship,” even mentioning the word lamentation is apt to cause a dismissive, disinterested shrug. But Christians still suffer, and this suffering is left mute when the church fails to integrate biblical lament in contemporary church practice. A Time for Sorrow looks to address this by recovering the biblical practice of bringing our pain before God in an honest and faithful manner. In this multiauthor work, learn about the role of lamentation in the Old and New Testaments, reflect on the theological significance of lament, and finish with thoughts on lament and pastoral practice today.

Every life, and every land and people, has reasons for lament and complaint. This collection of essays explores the biblical foundations and the contemporary resonances of lament literature. This new work presents a variety of responses to tragedy and a world out of joint are explored. These responses arise from Scripture, from within the liturgy of the church, and from beyond the church; in contemporary life (the racially conflicted land of Aotearoa- New Zealand, secular music concerts and cyber-space).The book thus reflects upon theological and pastoral handling of such experience, as it bridges these different worlds. It brings together in conversation specialists from different fields of academy and church to provide a resource for integrating faithand scholarship in dark places.

“Cheer up!” “Just pray it away!” “Christians don’t get depressed!” All too often, we hear these insensitive words from people who mean well but are misguided on depression. A way to help is striving to better understand depression and those dealing with it. In Lord, I'm Depressed, Rico Villanueva shares his own journey with depression and his reflections on the Lament Psalms. He writes, "It is through pain, indeed, through the wounds of Jesus, that healing flows." This book is not about quick fixes, formulas, or false hopes for overcoming depression. It is a profound psychological, biblical, and vulnerable expression of a pastor, scholar, and deeply faithful man of God whose story is, unfortunately, not an exception.

This exceptional book explores our understanding of the Psalter as a book of prayer in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It focuses in original and helpful ways on the genre of Lament as a text medium through which personal distress can be engaged with and processed in the action of prayer, and explores some of the psychodynamic shifts which can occur for people praying in this way, providing some actual case examples of the process at work. The author provides a thorough examination of the lament genre found in the Psalter from a theological perspective and also offers a practical working model which could be incorporated into work with people who are suffering from distress in a variety of forms.

Ours is a world characterized by change. Often the most fundamental changes in our lives result from experiences of profound suffering and loss as we are wrenched from our familiar world and driven into one that is alien. In the midst of such loss, we are compelled to choose between trying to cling to the remnants of a reality that is passing away and trying to make a home in a strange new world. Biblical prayers of lament wait for us at this crossroad of loss and newness. Prayers of lament are marked both by loss and by the inexplicable silence of God. Everything we believe about God's justice and goodness is placed in doubt by his hiddenness. The cry of lament is an act of tremendous risk. To lament is to abandon the sinking ship of religious certainty and strike out in a small dingy, amidst stormy seas, in search of a hidden God. Faced with God's silence, the biblical writers are willing to place at risk their most fundamental beliefs and to lament. The Psalm writers risk the loss of the Exodus story by crying out to a God who has failed to save, demanding that he once more part the chaotic waters and make a way in the desert. Job risks the loss of a moral God by confronting God with his injustice. Jeremiah risks the loss of the covenant by calling out for God to return yet again to a faithless partner and a failed marriage. Matthew and John the Revelator recognize that the coming of Messiah is impelled by the cries of innocent sufferers. Throughout the Bible, lament risks the possible loss of relationship with God and presses for a new, though uncertain, experience of God's presence.