Section outline

  • Illustrative Image

    The use of Lamentations and lament psalms in the Bible demonstrates that grief and lament are essential parts of religious expression and communal worship. In the Old Testament, the lament tradition was central to societal and spiritual life, but in contemporary Western Christian worship, it has largely disappeared, replaced primarily by praise and thanksgiving. Lamentations and lament psalms help restore balance by offering believers a way to express their pain and confusion before God without it being seen as a lack of faith. Additionally, they provide a framework for communities to pray and seek God together amid grief and trauma, reinforcing the importance of mutual support and honest emotional expression in faith life.