In continuing to look at ways to keep our life in balance, I want to look again at the Psalms of Lament and in a later blog, the role of humor.
As Ecclesiastes reminds us, “There is a time to weep and a time to laugh” (Eccles. 3:4)
Having a vital spiritual life is a matter of balance. The emotional continuum moves from Despair to ecstasy
Pain to pleasure
Lament to praise
The whole continuum is valuable in the fullness of life.
No one can live a healthy life in constant ecstasy, or pleasure, or praise. The psalms, which are our school of prayer, guides us along that continuum. Calvin said that the psalms provide an anatomy of the human soul – There is no feeling in human psyche that is not expressed somewhere in the psalms. And most importantly for our spiritual maturity, all are acceptable to God.
Look at Psalm 13 as a classic example of a lament psalm. Note how psalmist feels comfortable having expectations of God. While we make no pretense to understand the mind of God, still our faith leads us to expect certain things from God as part of our relationship. The psalmist feels free to remind God of those expectations and when s/he believes that God has not lived up to God’s part of the relationship. We see the same thing in Jesus’ use of Psalm 22 as his prayer from the cross.
Having expressed his or her complaint in bold terms, note also in Psalm 13 how the prayer moves from lament to praise. It is when we are honest in expressing our complaints, even our angers, that we cleanse our soul and can then honestly move to an experience of praise and awe.
To fully experience this, take psalm 13 and substitute your name for the pronouns and pray the psalm aloud and with feeling. At first you may even feel embarrassed about being so honest, but as you allow yourself that freedom, notice the sense of release in the experience.
As I mentioned, Psalm 22, made famous because the Gospels report it as Jesus’ prayer from the cross, also moves across the continuum from despair to praise. If you apply the same practice of placing your name in place of the pronouns, you will likely trigger some of your own moments when you have felt abandoned, even if just briefly.
Also, note how the moves from loneliness to community. The more we repress and swallow our own negative feelings, the more we isolate ourselves from others, and even from God. When we find one who is able to listen and accept our darkest feelings, we find ourselves accepted as well. We are restored to community. The spiritual life recognizes that despair and pain often isolates and that healing results in the restoration of community.
As Genesis notes from the beginning, “It is not good for the human to be alone.”
