After Lament

Just as the Book of Psalms provides the words we need for lament (expressing our grief and hurt to God), the Psalter also provides the guidance and language we need for negotiating the time after lament (learning to trust and give thanks). Nearly half of the psalms in the Book of Psalms are “laments,” expressions of grief, trouble, and suffering combined with calls for God’s help. Glenn Pemberton’s earlier book, Hurting with God, describes how the lament psalms helped him express his heart honestly before God. In After Lament, he masterfully explores the next stage of the journey, pointing out that lament does not always lead to thanksgiving. What happens when God does not answer our lament? In this rich book, Pemberton draws our attention to psalms of trust. How do we learn to trust God “after lament”? Even if God’s answer to our lament was “yes,” we cannot return to our life before the storm. Scars remain. And should God’s answer to our lament be something other than we wanted, we have an even greater faith challenge. How do we live with a God who said “no” in our moment of greatest need? Focusing on the psalms of trust, this book shows the Bible’s answer to this question.