Finding God's Grace Through Lament

"I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me."—Psalm 77:1

What do we do with our pain? So much in our world is simply not right: Disease. Death. Destruction. But we don't have to look to the news to know that things aren't okay. Our neighborhoods, our churches, and even our families ache with the everyday troubles of this life. Whether our response is rage or tears or numbness, the Bible offers an avenue for our pain: lament.

In Crying Out to God, Wendy Alsup uses psalms of lament to give words to our often-wordless cries. During this eight-week study, we learn that God not only allows our complaints about all that is not right, but he also welcomes our protests and tears. And we discover that God meets us in our lament, giving us his remarkable grace and provision in our time of need.

Crying Out to God features:



- 8-week Bible study experience with accompanying videos

- Flexible format and helpful suggestions for using this book with large groups, small groups, one-on-one, or for solo study

- Group sessions include 10-minute video lessons and discussion questions

- 5 days of engaging study each week to deepen your faith

- Reflection on a different Psalm each week

In this study, you'll join Wendy in exploring the dark, the hard, and the wrong in this world. Name it before the Lord and allow God through the Scriptures to meet you in it. You'll find grace in your time of need, your community's time of need, and our world's time of need. You'll find that God has not left you to journey through the darkness alone.



Wendy Alsup began her public ministry as deacon of women's theology and teaching at her church in Seattle. She now lives on her family farm in South Carolina where she teaches math at a local community college and is a mother to her two sons. Shehas written for Christianity Today, Modern Reformation, and The Gospel Coalition and is the author of Companions in Suffering: Comfort for Times of Loss and Loneliness.



Introduction



How to Use This Book



Week 1: Help, Lord, Psalm 12



Week 2: Have Compassion, Psalm 102



Week 3: Darkness Is My Only Friend, Psalm 88



Week 4: My Feet Nearly Slipped, Psalm 73



Week 5: Listen to My Prayer, Psalm 55



Week 6: I Think of You and Groan, Psalm 77



Week 7: Save Me, God, Psalm 69



Week 8: Restore Our Fortunes, Lord, Psalm 126