How to Complain God’s Way

1. The Pious Voice.

This says that there is no such thing as biblical complaining, because complaining is unbiblical. We must do all things without complaining,[ii] right? This especially includes not complaining to God. “Who do you think you are to talk to God like that?”

2. The Prosperous Voice.

This says that complaining will affect our future prosperity. If we speak negatively, we will start in motion a course of events that will only lead to greater calamity and misery.

3. The Pompous Voice.

We respond with brutal honesty. We shake our fists in the air at God and we tell Him without hindrance that we are not happy. He’s a big God, He can take it.

4. The Pity Voice.

Here we respond by requesting that everyone’s attention be on us. Everyone must know our pain. We want the pity of the people.

A Godly Voice to Suffering.

The tension here is balancing honesty with honor. How do I voice my complaint in a way that is both honest and honoring to the Lord? The lament psalms provide us great practical direction.

Here are some observations about lament psalms:[iii]

  • There are more lament psalms than any other type of psalm.
  • They express the extremes of human life — suffering and joy.
  • They reflect a crisis from which the psalmist prays for deliverance.
  • The laments do not deny God’s sovereignty, presence, knowledge, care or goodness.
  • Matter of fact, they depend on those characteristics, because the solution to the problem is always God.
  • They are often ambiguous about the details of the problems, allowing us to relate better to what the psalmist is going through.
  • The laments express a heart of submission and acceptance of God’s will.
  • They are full of praise and thanksgiving in the midst of suffering.

Like other psalms, lament psalms have form and structure. And that structure guides us on how to help others give voice to their suffering.