The Gift of Lament - A Reflection on Psalm 6

We are very lucky at our church to host a fabulous weekly Bible Study that is led by Gather, a new church start that shares our historic building.  In normal times I rarely have the opportunity to attend due to my work schedule, but these are far from normal times, and one of the surprising benefits of everything needing to be "virtual" is that it makes it easier to juggle my schedule!  So I have been able to attend via Zoom and am lovin' it:).

This current session is focused on the Psalms and last week we focused on the Psalms of Lament.  Which are basically most of the Psalms.  So if you want to really understand or pray the Psalms, it seems reasonable to that you have to understand, and I would argue, come to appreciate, lament.

Most 21st century churches in the US don't appear to value lament as much as the Early Church did.  And in fact, while the Psalms are the largest book in the Bible, and Lament Psalms are the largest category of Psalms, in my experience they get the smallest amount of our attention.  I think it's because we want to see church as a happy place - our happy place.  Where we are welcomed and loved, and occasionally, lovingly challenged. We want to feel good about church and at church. 

But I think we might be conflating our desired experience of Church with the experience of the patrons of Cheers, the 1980's sitcom.  Church isn't just a place where "everybody knows your name", although that is often true.  It is where we gather, physically or virtually, to remind ourselves that God knows each of our names, our hearts and our lives - and loves us anyway.  So we don't need to pose or pretend or be our best selves.  In fact, God may be at God's best when we are at our worst - angry, afraid, desperate for hope and for help. 

When we Lament we are asking "where are you God?" because we can finally admit that we need God.  And that is the gift of lament.

Reflection on Psalm 6

Grief and pains, so profound that it causes mental and physical terror.  And a complete feeling of abandonment, as if God has turned God's back on me.  Willfully ignoring my pain and pleas. Almost as if God wants to bring the psalmist, or me, to my knees.

In many ways that feels cruel.  Like God is punishing the psalmist and pimping for praise.  But then I wonder, isn't it often only when we are so utterly broken that we can see no other way out that we then turn to God - and literally beg.  And bargain, i.e. "if you heal me, I will praise you". So is God holding out, or are we?

The Good News is that the psalmist clearly believes that God hasn't left; just moved out of earshot.  Did God turns God's back - or did we?

Dear God, help me to call on you - just to say "hey", to say "thanks", and to beg for your help. And thank you for always being there.  Amen.