The Two Poles of Speaking to God (And What’s Often Missing in the Western Church)

Old Testament scholar Claus Westermann situates the Hebrew poetic material into two broad categories: praise and lament. Westermann asserts that “as the two poles, they determine the nature of all speaking to God.” Psalms that express worship for the good things that God has done are categorized as praise hymns.

Laments are prayers of petition arising out of need. But lament is not simply the presentation of a list of complaints, nor merely the expression of sadness over difficult circumstances. Lament in the Bible is a liturgical response to the reality of suffering and engages God…