A Prayer of Lament
“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)
Throughout our 5-week study in the book of Job, we’ve started praying a corporate prayer of lament. The prayer is taken straight out of scripture, from various places through the biblical narrative. The elders hope this will help us the learn the language of lament, which is desperately needed in our broken and ever-breaking world.
I wanted to share it with you, so you can pray this prayer on your own as well.
A Prayer of Lament
Leader: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return.
All: The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Leader: Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?
All: Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?
Leader: “The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
All: Though he slay me, I will hope in him.
Leader: We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair.
All: We are persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; it’s through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Leader: Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
All: My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Leader: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
All: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Leader: And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
All: To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen!
(Here’s a PDF version if you’d like to save it/print it out/etc.)
We also want to sing songs of lament, so here’s a few songs we’ll sing this Lord’s Day:
Afflicted Saints, to Christ Draw Near
(This is a brand new song for our congregation, so familiarize yourself with it to prepare for Sunday)
Lyrics:
Afflicted saint, to Christ draw near,
Your Savior’s gracious promise hear;
His faithful Word you can believe:
That as your days your strength shall be.
Your faith is weak, your foes are strong,
And if the conflict should be long,
The Lord will make the tempter flee
That as your days your strength shall be.
So, sing with joy, afflicted one;
The battle’s fierce, but the victory’s won!
God shall supply all that you need;
Yes, as your days your strength shall be.
Should persecution rage and flame,
Still trust in your Redeemer’s name.
In fiery trials you shall see
That as your days your strength shall be.
When called to bear your weighty cross
Or sore affliction, pain, or loss,
Or deep distress or poverty,
Still as your days your strength shall be.
Lord From Sorrows Deep I Call (Psalm 42)
How Long, O Lord, How Long? (Psalm 13)
In light of this week’s message on Job’s Lament, I would encourage you to also read Job chapter 3 to help tune your heart to this minor key, sorrowful form of worship.
By God’s grace, let’s learn to lament!
“Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10)