Psalm 82:2 How long will you judge unjustly and show favour to the wicked?
I often wonder how much has changed since the time of the psalmist. We are still asking the same questions of God and our neighbour. In the psalms of lament, the poetry nearly always turns toward faith in God, trust in God’s goodness, and a call for spiritual persistence. Sometimes, these sentiments feel like platitudes to me, and I wonder if the original audience didn’t hear them that way on occasion as well.
What is most powerful in these psalms of lament is that they were written to be sung aloud. They were songs of grief, meant to be sung communally and in a ritualistic context. What an incredible gift this act of communal singing must have been to those facing impossible questions together.
For me, the beauty of our liturgical tradition is the communal sense of participation and prayer. We are singing and praying together as a church body but also across time and space with those we love but see no longer. When I view the collective lament in this light, I see its deep authenticity and connection to those who have gone before us and will come after us.
MOVING FORWARD: Write your own honest psalm today, from your heart to God’s.
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