You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
it sent out its branches to the sea,
and its shoots to the River.
Why then have you broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
Turn again, O God of hosts;
look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
the stock that your right hand planted.
They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made strong for yourself.
Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Questions
1. Often our complaints come from a place of fear. What do you fear today? Watch for ways that God is shielding you from that which you fear.
2. In spite of feeling forgotten by or angry at God, the lament psalmists reach out to God. Try expressing your alienation, grief, or anger to God. Listen for God’s response.
3. Pay attention to what the psalmists are asking of God. In times of discomfort, what is it that you truly want? Express this desire to God.
4. Sometimes the psalmists speak directly to God, and sometimes they just talk about God. What helps you express grief and frustration? Verbalizing your complaint? Writing in a journal? Talking to others?