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Document Type
Devotion
Publication Date
2-17-2026
Description
The Psalms of Lament comprise nearly a third of the Psalter, making them one of the most prominent prayer forms in Scripture. These psalms give voice to human suffering, doubt, and struggle before God—not as expressions of weak faith, but as honest cries from those who trust God enough to bring their deepest pain into His presence. A lament typically moves through several stages: addressing God, describing the complaint or distress, asking "how long?" or "why?", petitioning God for help, expressing trust despite circumstances, and often concluding with praise or a vow to praise. Through lament, the psalmists model a faith that doesn't deny reality or paper over suffering with superficial platitudes, but instead brings the full weight of human experience—confusion, anger, grief, fear—directly to the Lord.
The season of Lent, with its forty-day journey toward the cross, provides a natural home for these prayers of lament. As we walk with Christ through the wilderness of temptation, through growing opposition, and ultimately toward Golgotha, the lament psalms become our companions in acknowledging both the brokenness of our world and the costliness of redemption. Many of these psalms find their fulfillment in Christ himself, who cried "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" from the cross, taking up the words of Psalm 22. As you prepare your devotional submissions, consider how your chosen lament psalm speaks both to the honest struggles of faith and to the hope we find in Christ, who entered fully into human suffering to bring us through death to resurrection.
Keywords
lent, devotions, psalms
Disciplines
Practical Theology
Submission Type
Bible Study; Lecture; Sermon Prep
Submission Topics
Devotional
Scripture References in this Resource (separated by semi-colons)
Psalm 51; Psalm 3; Psalm 4; Psalm 5; Psalm 7; Psalm 9; Psalm 10; Psalm 12; Psalm 13; Psalm 14; Psalm 17; Psalm 28; Psalm 31; Psalm 39; Psalm 41; Psalm 42; Psalm 43; Psalm 44; Psalm 55; Psalm 56; Psalm 61; Psalm 71; Psalm 74; Psalm 77; Psalm 79; Psalm 82; Psalm 86; Psalm 88; Psalm 89; Psalm 90; Psalm 102; Psalm 120; Psalm 123; Psalm 36; Psalm 57; Psalm 59; Psalm 140; Psalm 126; Psalm 143; Psalm 118; Psalm 141; Psalm 130; Psalm 69; Psalm 22;
Submission Audience
Laity; Ministers; Scholars
Submission Cost
Free
Recommended Citation
Wagner, Benjamin; Hovland, Stephenie; Landrey, Jonathan; Genszler, Christopher; Byrd, Matthew; Poppe, Jonathan; Genszler, Amy; Camp, Joshua; Grabau, Lydia; Grabau, Ezekiel; Eising, Henry; Lehms, Jonathan; Squire, Mark; Clark, Wesley; Christian, Stephen; Bliss, Kyle; Schneck, Brian; Engelder, Jack; Vukalovich, Nicholas; Carlson, Cole; Halboth, Aaron; Crain, Rick; Potts, Ezekiel; Benkert, Zachary; Kebede, Natnael; Stefanec, Jacob; Fields, Joshua; Ventimiglia, Peter; Borseth, Andrew; O’Shell, Jesse; Mudge, Isaiah; Osmundson, Erik; Moore, Stephen; Hall, Nathaniel; Younghouse, Matthew; Steel, Corrie; Pekari, Nathaniel; Gray, David; Vorseth, Jarod; Skove, Ryan; Held, Samuel; Musolino, Joseph; Atlee, Chris; and Krueger, David, "2026 Psalms of Lament: Lenten Devotionals" (2026). Other Student Publications. 29.
https://scholar.csl.edu/osp/29
