Prayers from the Darkness: The Difficult Psalms

by Lyn Fraser

The "difficult psalms" which amount to more than a third of the Psalter, shock us with their cries of pain, anger, and alienation. They call on God for revenge on their enemies and mercy for themselves. Lyn Fraser, following the lead of Old Testament theologian Walter Brueggemann, shows how to integrate these "psalms of disorientation" in Sunday morning worship, pastoral care, and any situation of extreme need.

124 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Ronald Schoedel III · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve previously read reflections on “the tough psalms” by CS Lewis and by NT Wright, who gave good theological guidance on how to read, pray, and understand those psalms. Lyn Fraser here goes to the next level and gives inspired guidance on how particular “psalms of disorientation” can be used pastorally and personally with people in various challenging circumstances, such as hospice care, grief over loss, persons who are incarcerated, and numerous other “disordered” situations. She does this within the framework of “order, disorder, and reordering” (or orientation, disorientation, and re-orientation) that OT scholar, theologian, and pastor Walter Brueggemann has proposed. This is helpful because the theme of the Psalms, as an ancient prayer book, is that through the periods of disorder (through which we know because of the psalms that we absolutely may spill out our guts and express our sorrow and anger honestly in prayer), God is steadfast and re-order is always coming at some point.