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Articles

Learning to lament: 4 lessons from Psalms

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May 25, 2016

We all know that feeling: That grip on our heart when we turn on the morning news to hear about a heartbreaking tragedy that has just taken place; or when we open our email and read about fellow believers losing their life for the sake of Christ; or when we see our culture dishonor God and his holy Word.

In our fallen world, there is much for us to grieve. There are many things we hear and learn about on a daily basis that leave us bewildered, confused, saddened, crushed and even downright terrified. What is a believer to do? How do we wake up each day to devastating news, to wars and rumors of wars, to heartbreaking stories?

The Psalms of lament

Between the time David was anointed by Samuel and when he finally became king of Israel, he spent a long time on the run from King Saul. Saul wanted him dead and was intent to make it happen. So David and his loyal followers moved from place to place and at times, lived in caves. On once such occasion, while on the run for his life, David penned Psalm 142, which begins, “With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord” (vs. 1).

Psalm 142 is a psalm of lament. Different than the psalms of thanksgiving or remembrance, the laments are those psalms where the writer cries out to God. Many of us read the laments and nod our heads because the psalmist gets it. He knows what the real world is like. He doesn’t sugar coat things; he tells it like it is. The words of the laments are ones many believers turn to when they are frightened, hurt or saddened by the pains of this life.

But the laments do more than just mirror what’s going on in our hearts. They show us how we can live life in this fallen world. They show us what to do when we are grieved by what’s happening around us. They show us how to respond when everything in this world is changing and the unknown future fills us with fear. Thankfully, the laments have a pattern we can follow so that we, too, can cry out to God in our distress.

Learning to lament

  1. Turn to God. In Psalm 142, the psalmist cries out to God. For example, he says, “I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him” (vs. 2). This is the first lesson of the laments. When we are uncertain, afraid, confused or saddened, we need to come before our Father in heaven. As adopted children, redeemed by the blood of Christ, we are free to come into God’s presence with confidence and know that he will hear us. Not only that, but he delights that we come before him. More often than not though, turning to God with our emotions is not the first thing we do. Instead, we usually try to distract ourselves from painful emotions, pretend they don’t exist or seek to find a temporary savior to our problems. But the laments remind us that God is King. He is our Savior, deliverer and refuge. He alone is our salvation.
  2. Cry for help. In Psalm 142, David then cried out to God for help, “Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!” (vs. 6). This is another element of the laments—asking God for help. Whether it is help for ourselves, for other brothers and sisters in Christ, for our country or for our world, we need to cry out to God. Like David, we need to seek God’s deliverance and mercy.
  3. Speak the truth. The next lesson we can learn from the laments is how the psalmist speaks the truth about who God is. He reminds himself of God’s character and goodness. In verse three, David wrote, “When my spirit faints within me, you know my way!” He reminds himself that God knows all things. In verse five, he refers to God as his refuge, “I cry to you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’” As we cry out to God in sorrow or fear about all that is happening around us, we too need to remember who God is and what he has done. He is good and faithful. We need to remember “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” (Prov. 21:1).
  4. Trust in the Lord. Lastly, the psalmist voices a response of trust in the Lord, “Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me” (vs. 7). This is the goal of the laments. They move forward from despair to joy, from fear to trust, from loneliness to hope. As the psalmist comes into God’s presence and cries out to the Lord, he remembers who God is and what he has done, and his joy is rekindled. He knows that God rules and reigns over all things. He knows that God’s redemptive hand is at work. He knows that God is good. And so he responds in praise and trust. He doesn’t know when the Lord will deliver him, but he trusts and believes that he will.

The pattern of the laments is for us to follow as well. When our hearts are broken over tragedy, evil, and sin in the world, we need to lament. We need to bring our grief, sorrow and fear before the Lord. We need to cry out to him for help. We need to trust his goodness and faithfulness. For he alone is our refuge and salvation.

Christina Fox

Christina Fox is a counselor, writer, retreat speaker, and author of several books including A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope through the Psalms of Lament, A Holy Fear, and Tell God How You Feel.  Read More

Article 12: The Future of AI

We affirm that AI will continue to be developed in ways that we cannot currently imagine or understand, including AI that will far surpass many human abilities. God alone has the power to create life, and no future advancements in AI will usurp Him as the Creator of life. The church has a unique role in proclaiming human dignity for all and calling for the humane use of AI in all aspects of society.

We deny that AI will make us more or less human, or that AI will ever obtain a coequal level of worth, dignity, or value to image-bearers. Future advancements in AI will not ultimately fulfill our longings for a perfect world. While we are not able to comprehend or know the future, we do not fear what is to come because we know that God is omniscient and that nothing we create will be able to thwart His redemptive plan for creation or to supplant humanity as His image-bearers.

Genesis 1; Isaiah 42:8; Romans 1:20-21; 5:2; Ephesians 1:4-6; 2 Timothy 1:7-9; Revelation 5:9-10

Article 11: Public Policy

We affirm that the fundamental purposes of government are to protect human beings from harm, punish those who do evil, uphold civil liberties, and to commend those who do good. The public has a role in shaping and crafting policies concerning the use of AI in society, and these decisions should not be left to those who develop these technologies or to governments to set norms.

We deny that AI should be used by governments, corporations, or any entity to infringe upon God-given human rights. AI, even in a highly advanced state, should never be delegated the governing authority that has been granted by an all-sovereign God to human beings alone. 

Romans 13:1-7; Acts 10:35; 1 Peter 2:13-14

Article 10: War

We affirm that the use of AI in warfare should be governed by love of neighbor and the principles of just war. The use of AI may mitigate the loss of human life, provide greater protection of non-combatants, and inform better policymaking. Any lethal action conducted or substantially enabled by AI must employ 5 human oversight or review. All defense-related AI applications, such as underlying data and decision-making processes, must be subject to continual review by legitimate authorities. When these systems are deployed, human agents bear full moral responsibility for any actions taken by the system.

We deny that human agency or moral culpability in war can be delegated to AI. No nation or group has the right to use AI to carry out genocide, terrorism, torture, or other war crimes.

Genesis 4:10; Isaiah 1:16-17; Psalm 37:28; Matthew 5:44; 22:37-39; Romans 13:4

Article 9: Security

We affirm that AI has legitimate applications in policing, intelligence, surveillance, investigation, and other uses supporting the government’s responsibility to respect human rights, to protect and preserve human life, and to pursue justice in a flourishing society.

We deny that AI should be employed for safety and security applications in ways that seek to dehumanize, depersonalize, or harm our fellow human beings. We condemn the use of AI to suppress free expression or other basic human rights granted by God to all human beings.

Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-14

Article 8: Data & Privacy

We affirm that privacy and personal property are intertwined individual rights and choices that should not be violated by governments, corporations, nation-states, and other groups, even in the pursuit of the common good. While God knows all things, it is neither wise nor obligatory to have every detail of one’s life open to society.

We deny the manipulative and coercive uses of data and AI in ways that are inconsistent with the love of God and love of neighbor. Data collection practices should conform to ethical guidelines that uphold the dignity of all people. We further deny that consent, even informed consent, although requisite, is the only necessary ethical standard for the collection, manipulation, or exploitation of personal data—individually or in the aggregate. AI should not be employed in ways that distort truth through the use of generative applications. Data should not be mishandled, misused, or abused for sinful purposes to reinforce bias, strengthen the powerful, or demean the weak.

Exodus 20:15, Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:13-14; Matthew 10:16 Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 4:12-13; 1 John 1:7 

Article 7: Work

We affirm that work is part of God’s plan for human beings participating in the cultivation and stewardship of creation. The divine pattern is one of labor and rest in healthy proportion to each other. Our view of work should not be confined to commercial activity; it must also include the many ways that human beings serve each other through their efforts. AI can be used in ways that aid our work or allow us to make fuller use of our gifts. The church has a Spirit-empowered responsibility to help care for those who lose jobs and to encourage individuals, communities, employers, and governments to find ways to invest in the development of human beings and continue making vocational contributions to our lives together.

We deny that human worth and dignity is reducible to an individual’s economic contributions to society alone. Humanity should not use AI and other technological innovations as a reason to move toward lives of pure leisure even if greater social wealth creates such possibilities.

Genesis 1:27; 2:5; 2:15; Isaiah 65:21-24; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-16

Article 6: Sexuality

We affirm the goodness of God’s design for human sexuality which prescribes the sexual union to be an exclusive relationship between a man and a woman in the lifelong covenant of marriage.

We deny that the pursuit of sexual pleasure is a justification for the development or use of AI, and we condemn the objectification of humans that results from employing AI for sexual purposes. AI should not intrude upon or substitute for the biblical expression of sexuality between a husband and wife according to God’s design for human marriage.

Genesis 1:26-29; 2:18-25; Matthew 5:27-30; 1 Thess 4:3-4

Article 5: Bias

We affirm that, as a tool created by humans, AI will be inherently subject to bias and that these biases must be accounted for, minimized, or removed through continual human oversight and discretion. AI should be designed and used in such ways that treat all human beings as having equal worth and dignity. AI should be utilized as a tool to identify and eliminate bias inherent in human decision-making.

We deny that AI should be designed or used in ways that violate the fundamental principle of human dignity for all people. Neither should AI be used in ways that reinforce or further any ideology or agenda, seeking to subjugate human autonomy under the power of the state.

Micah 6:8; John 13:34; Galatians 3:28-29; 5:13-14; Philippians 2:3-4; Romans 12:10

Article 4: Medicine

We affirm that AI-related advances in medical technologies are expressions of God’s common grace through and for people created in His image and that these advances will increase our capacity to provide enhanced medical diagnostics and therapeutic interventions as we seek to care for all people. These advances should be guided by basic principles of medical ethics, including beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice, which are all consistent with the biblical principle of loving our neighbor.

We deny that death and disease—effects of the Fall—can ultimately be eradicated apart from Jesus Christ. Utilitarian applications regarding healthcare distribution should not override the dignity of human life. Fur- 3 thermore, we reject the materialist and consequentialist worldview that understands medical applications of AI as a means of improving, changing, or completing human beings.

Matthew 5:45; John 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Galatians 6:2; Philippians 2:4

Article 3: Relationship of AI & Humanity

We affirm the use of AI to inform and aid human reasoning and moral decision-making because it is a tool that excels at processing data and making determinations, which often mimics or exceeds human ability. While AI excels in data-based computation, technology is incapable of possessing the capacity for moral agency or responsibility.

We deny that humans can or should cede our moral accountability or responsibilities to any form of AI that will ever be created. Only humanity will be judged by God on the basis of our actions and that of the tools we create. While technology can be created with a moral use in view, it is not a moral agent. Humans alone bear the responsibility for moral decision making.

Romans 2:6-8; Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Peter 1:5-8; 1 John 2:1

Article 2: AI as Technology

We affirm that the development of AI is a demonstration of the unique creative abilities of human beings. When AI is employed in accordance with God’s moral will, it is an example of man’s obedience to the divine command to steward creation and to honor Him. We believe in innovation for the glory of God, the sake of human flourishing, and the love of neighbor. While we acknowledge the reality of the Fall and its consequences on human nature and human innovation, technology can be used in society to uphold human dignity. As a part of our God-given creative nature, human beings should develop and harness technology in ways that lead to greater flourishing and the alleviation of human suffering.

We deny that the use of AI is morally neutral. It is not worthy of man’s hope, worship, or love. Since the Lord Jesus alone can atone for sin and reconcile humanity to its Creator, technology such as AI cannot fulfill humanity’s ultimate needs. We further deny the goodness and benefit of any application of AI that devalues or degrades the dignity and worth of another human being. 

Genesis 2:25; Exodus 20:3; 31:1-11; Proverbs 16:4; Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 3:23

Article 1: Image of God

We affirm that God created each human being in His image with intrinsic and equal worth, dignity, and moral agency, distinct from all creation, and that humanity’s creativity is intended to reflect God’s creative pattern.

We deny that any part of creation, including any form of technology, should ever be used to usurp or subvert the dominion and stewardship which has been entrusted solely to humanity by God; nor should technology be assigned a level of human identity, worth, dignity, or moral agency.

Genesis 1:26-28; 5:1-2; Isaiah 43:6-7; Jeremiah 1:5; John 13:34; Colossians 1:16; 3:10; Ephesians 4:24