Words as Offerings: Praise and Lamentation

Writing for His Glory is a series of reflections and writing prompts from author Kathryn Butler, drawn from a writers’ workshop she teaches for high school students. God spoke all of creation into existence by His Word; as He made us in His image, we can glorify Him with our own. Our prayer is that these reflections prompt you to wonder, praise, and pick up your pen.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven,” the Preacher tells us, “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” (Eccl. 3:1,4)  Writings of praise and lamentation reflect these two types of seasons, and encourage us to seek God in all circumstances – whether weeping or laughter mark our days.

Psalms of praise and lamentation are two sides of the same coin. Both model a personal relationship with God. Both reflect upon his character to frame and process moments in life. Praise flows from gratitude to God for who he is, and lamentation – prayers in the midst of grief and suffering – reflects our reliance upon him. As Mark Vroegop writes in Deep Clouds, Dark Mercy:

Pain has a way of awakening us to our need for God’s help. It shines a spotlight on our powerlessness to control everything. We are never more aware of our frailty than when hardship comes our way. This is one of the blessings of suffering if we allow lament to lead us. The various trials of life can become a platform to reaffirm our dependence upon the Lord. The requests of lament can become the place where we celebrate our need for God’s help.

Read the following Psalms of lament and praise, and note what patterns emerge:

Praise:
Psalm 100
Psalm 146
Psalm 150
Psalm 23

Lament:
Psalm 130
Psalm 6
Psalm 38
Psalm 22

We need not lament or praise God through poetry and song only. Saints over the years have taken to prose for the same purposes!


Writing Exercise
Write your own piece of lament or praise. You can approach the assignment through a poem or prayer, or through prose, whichever you prefer. If you choose to write in lamentation, feel free to cry out to God, and then focus on who He is and what He’s done. If you choose praise, reflect in detail on His attributes.

Writing for His Glory first appeared on Story Warren in June 2024.
Photo by Daniel Espínola on Unsplash