Do you know what it means to lament? It’s one of the many ways we’re taught to pray in Scripture, and yet, so many people are confused or intimidated by the thought of lamenting to God.

You might think lament is nothing but grumbling and complaining, or that it’s a waste of God’s time when there are bigger things going on in the world. So instead of taking your concerns to God, you keep them bottled up inside. And, my friend, that only leads to being stuck.

Stuck in your pain and grief.
Stuck in being overwhelmed by your circumstances.
Stuck in distress and despair.

The good news is that God gave us this practice of lament to help us get emotionally unstuck, connect with Him, and keep our souls healthy.

To sum it up, lament prevents soul cement!

So today, we are diving into six little verses from Psalm 13 to learn what it really means to lament and how you can lament well.

This is some straight-up Bible teaching on the podcast today because it comes from a brand new prayer study I helped write called When You Pray. The study was actually written by six Bible teachers who you know and love, and each of us took a prayer from Scripture to teach us how to pray.

Whether it’s a prayer of praise, giving thanks, or interceding on behalf of others, each form of prayer has its place. And sister, lament may sound bleak and messy, but it has its place in prayer too.

So today I’m sharing a little bit of what I teach in this Bible study because lament is something we all need to know how to do when life is hard.

Your tears are bound to come, and when they do, it’s important to keep praying through your tears. This conversation will help you process your pain in the presence of the Lord and learn to lament well.

If you’ve already listened to the podcast, here are the three stepping stones on the path of lament based on Psalm 13:

Three Stepping Stones on the Path of Lament

1. “I feel…” – Tell God How You Feel
2. “I need…” – Tell God What You Need
3. “I will…” – Trust and Rejoice

[Listen to the podcast using the player above, or read the transcript below. Then check out the links below for more helpful resources.]

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