Lament
J. Daniel Hays (Teach the Text) on Jeremiah 15
At first it might seem surprising that God saw fit to include in the Bible this account of Jeremiah’s struggle with discouragement and his doubting of God’s faithfulness. Yet this theme is expressed in numerous places throughout Scripture. As in the book of Job, the implication is that in times of pain and confusion God’s people can express their questions, doubts, and discouragements honestly to God, as long as they listen to his answer and move on. Likewise, in many of the individual lament psalms David cries out in discouragement, but he uses the lamenting process to work through his discouragement and to end up with a strong affirmation and declaration of praise for God’s faithfulness to him.
Many of the psalms of lament are communal complaints of Israel, but there are also individual laments, a few of which are considered protests of innocence such as Psalms 5; 7; 17; and 26. Here David cries out to God, protesting his innocence and challenging the fairness of the way he is being treated. 🔥For us, like David and Jeremiah, one of the best ways to work through our discouragement is to pour out our hearts to God while we remember his faithfulness in the past.