Lament and unanswered prayer

Psalm 13; Psalm 88; Habakkuk 1

Use your preferred translation.

What can we say to God when we cannot make sense of what happened?

• What does the passage say? Restate it in your own words before interpreting it.
• Who is speaking, and to whom?
• What is the surrounding context — what comes just before and after?
• Which words or phrases repeat or stand out?

1. Psalm 13 moves from “How long?” to trust. Psalm 88 does not resolve. What does it mean that both are in Scripture?
2. Habakkuk questions God directly. How does God respond to being questioned?
3. Why do we sometimes feel that complaint to God is unfaithful? What does lament assume about God?

Is there a grief or question you have stopped bringing to God? What would it take to bring it again?

Write your own short lament this week, using Psalm 13 as a pattern: complaint, request, and (if you can) trust.

Bring God your unanswered questions plainly, trusting that He is willing to hear them.