Lament
A poetic or spoken expression of grief, loss, or complaint, often addressed to God. It gives suffering language without necessarily resolving it.
Mourning: The social and emotional response to a death or other profound loss. Lament gives mourning an articulated form through speech, song, or writing.
Book of Lamentations: A biblical book of five poems mourning Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians. Its poems give collective grief over a devastated city a sustained literary form.
Lamentations in Christian worship: The use of lament texts and practices in Christian prayer and communal worship. Congregations use lament to voice grief and protest within religious life.
Theodicy: The attempt to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with belief in a good, powerful God. Lament protests suffering without necessarily resolving the theological problem it raises.
Elegy: A poem of mourning, often reflecting on loss and remembrance. Elegy usually commemorates the dead, while lament centers the cry of grief or protest.
Psalms of lament: Biblical psalms that voice distress, protest, and appeals for divine help. These prayers make lament a recurring mode of worship and personal address.
Dirge: A mournful song or instrumental composition performed for the dead. A dirge is tied especially to funeral performance; lament can address many kinds of suffering.
Religious doubt: Uncertainty or questioning about religious beliefs, doctrines, or the existence of God. A lament's questions and accusations can expose doubt within an ongoing relationship with God.
Prayer: Communication or communion with a deity, commonly expressed through words, ritual, or contemplation. Many religious laments are prayers addressed directly to God.
Psalm 22: A biblical psalm that begins with a cry of abandonment and later voices praise. Its movement from anguish toward praise illustrates one possible shape of lament.