Is There Rigid Structure To The Laments of Psalms? "Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?" (Psalms 44:23-24 ESV). If many of us have been taught by our parents to put on a happy face, to let a smile be our umbrella, or to keep our complaints to ourselves, then the Old Testament offers a corrective to these teachings in the Psalms of lament. Matthew Schlimm believes that we sometimes forget that the Lord already knows our innermost thoughts. So we can remove that fake smile and express the sadness directly to God, no matter how intense the emotions may be.3
Some modern resources on worship, general describe the readings …show more content…
These psalms of lament, which are generally simple appeals or prayers to God that consists of an address or initial petition, the lament or grievance, a turning toward God or confession of trust, and a promise of praise (see table 1.2). The internal evolution within the psalm of lament that begins with an address followed by lament, petition, vow, and finally praise, which Claus Westermann argues that the structure of the psalm of lament is theologically significant.2 For Westermann, the structure of the psalm sheds light on the faith of the psalmist or author of the psalm, because it clearly shows that God only hears or responds to the needs of his people when they cry out to Him in …show more content…
Nevertheless, in each one of these psalms we can discern a fixed sequence of elements which marks it as a psalm of lament. The structure of the psalm of lament is an address, a lamentation, a turning to God, a petition, and a vow of praise ...There is not a single psalm of lament that stops in lamentation. Lamentation has no meaning in and of itself. That it functions as an appeal is evident in the structure because what the lament is concerned with is n o t a description of one’s own sufferings or with self-pity, but with the removal of the suffering
Some modern resources on worship, general describe the readings …show more content…
These psalms of lament, which are generally simple appeals or prayers to God that consists of an address or initial petition, the lament or grievance, a turning toward God or confession of trust, and a promise of praise (see table 1.2). The internal evolution within the psalm of lament that begins with an address followed by lament, petition, vow, and finally praise, which Claus Westermann argues that the structure of the psalm of lament is theologically significant.2 For Westermann, the structure of the psalm sheds light on the faith of the psalmist or author of the psalm, because it clearly shows that God only hears or responds to the needs of his people when they cry out to Him in …show more content…
Nevertheless, in each one of these psalms we can discern a fixed sequence of elements which marks it as a psalm of lament. The structure of the psalm of lament is an address, a lamentation, a turning to God, a petition, and a vow of praise ...There is not a single psalm of lament that stops in lamentation. Lamentation has no meaning in and of itself. That it functions as an appeal is evident in the structure because what the lament is concerned with is n o t a description of one’s own sufferings or with self-pity, but with the removal of the suffering