Rachel's Cry: Prayer of Lament and Rebirth of Hope

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Summary: Being honest with God
Review: Rachel's Cry; Prayer of Lament and Rebirth of Hope, by Billman and Migliore, seeks to recover the biblical tradition of lament and protest, and exemplify its importance in one's spiritual life, especially for those who grieve while facing irrational suffering. The biblical figure Rachel is seen as metaphor "of the wholeness of prayer and spirituality that needs to be reclaimed by Christians today." Rachel's cry, her laminations, "need to be reclaimed in Christian prayer, the liturgy of the church, and pastoral ministry." The prayer of lament is the "unsettling tradition of prayer that includes expressions of complaint, anger, grief, despair and protest to God," found throughout the Bible, most often in the Psalms. One who did not believe in God could not have written these laments; they are honest, open conversations with a living, listening, God. The prayer of lament can co-exists with the prayer of praise and joy; in fact, it must if those that suffer are to be honest with them and with God. "How can the prayer of lament be free and joyful if the realities of broken human life are not named and lamented?" Lament adds to the wholeness of Christian life, and has its place with praise and thanksgiving in a holistic understanding of prayer. I highly recommend this book for those that are grieving or are seeking to comfort those that are suffering.