As the most prevalent category of psalms, the psalms of lament paint an especially poignant picture of the distress often involved in the life of faith and the petitions of God’s people. Often, these psalms express a desire for God to intervene and make his presence known as it appears to the psalmists that he has remained silent in the midst of present crises. The theological message of these prayers, in conjunction with the message of the Psalter on whole, reflects the dynamic of the prayer relationship the faithful have with God. These prayers in particular, moreover, provide a framework by which God’s people can appeal to God in the midst of his apparent hiddenness, or silence.
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