“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.” Psalm 48:9
The Psalms, as a book, does not sugarcoat life. If anyone were to think of the Bible as out-of-touch, they’ve not read these psalms. These songs have shown encounters with the wicked, raging nations, and foes. These pages have squarely faced life and loss.
These songs have modeled how to call on God, to plead for his attention, and to implore him to turn to deliver any sufferer. We’ve seen rapturous praise at his majesty and hard questions of complaint in the oft-employed discipline of lament.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1
Lament was a new lesson for me that I will highlight in this concluding entry to Facing Loss Through the Psalms. I’ve used the word before, but I’ve not used it as a discipline for processing loss. I did not understand what it meant to lament. I used it as an alternate term for grief. I did not understand it as a discipline or as a process. Turning to God was not new to me. We are instructed to turn to God in prayer throughout the Bible. However, complaining to God was new to me. My biblical worldview did not have an appropriate or acceptable place for complaint. And yet, in sixty-five of the one-hundred-and-fifty psalms, lament is presented or modeled. Even Jesus used Psalm 22 to lament when facing the cross. Complaint, of course, must be accomplished carefully and respectfully by us. In essence, complaint—in The Psalms—is agreeing with God about brokenness and rehearsing it transparently with him. Complaint is taking a particular example of brokenness and laying it out before God. Of course, complaint is not the point. The one lamenting must move to asking of God. We turn our complaint into a request. Finally, after laying our request before God, we move to the final step to trusting in God. We declare our confident trust in God. Lament has been a liberating lesson for me. I am indebted to Mark Vroegop for his book, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, which helped to see this process throughout the psalter.
“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. …How precious is your steadfast love, O God!” Psalm 36:5, 7
The most repeated message throughout, however, is God’s enduring and steadfast love. It never ceases. The experience of his ceaseless love is not contingent on good times. His love is always available and present, and it does not depend on circumstances. Good and bad circumstances are met with his enduring love. Lament is made possible because of the steadfast love of the Lord. We trust his heart because his heart is filled with love for us. Psalm 23:6 tells us, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” His lovingkindness, or his mercy, is everlasting and promises that we will dwell in the Lord’s house forever. Lament, indeed, can lead to trusting God. Psalm 59:10 states, My God in his steadfast love will meet me…”
“The steadfast love of God endures all the day.” Psalm 52:1
Other topics such as adoration, confession, refuge, joy, worship, despair, thanksgiving, unity, and others pepper the pages of this book; however, no message rings as clear or as repeated as the assertion that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
“I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 89:1
Sing of his steadfast love!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1
Give thanks for his steadfast love!
It endures forever and never ceases. And these one-hundred-and-fifty songs have turned our mourning into dancing. Praise God for his kindness in these pages as we have faced loss through The Psalms.
“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” Psalm 30:11-12
Read the E-book Facing Loss: Lessons of Hope from My Unwanted Journey
Does your last entry indicate a change of direction. As a Pastor I have sent this resource to many people and found it helpful myself.
Well, sort of a change. I have finished walking through the Psalms. Next week, I will begin looking at Proverbs and apply the wisdom from that book to loss.