Many cultures today spend a significant amount of time, energy, and money attempting to guard against, avoid, ignore, and distance ourselves from all forms of suffering and sorrow, making many people ill-equipped when inevitably met with times of both. One author has noted that "increasingly we lack the social practices, words, and concepts necessary to grasp our pain by the horns and stare it in the face. We have been robbed of a vocabulary of grief, and we suffer for it." Thankfully, God's word provides an inspired corrective. The same author states, "The book of Lamentations accosts us by the wayside as a stranger who offers us an unasked-for, unwanted, and yet priceless gift—the poetry of pain. We would be wise to pay attention" (Parry, Lamentations, 1).

And, with help, pay attention we will strive to do. Dr. Matthew McAlack teaches Bible, theology, psychology, and youth and family ministry at Cairn University in Langhorne Manor, Pennsylvania. He’s also recently contributed a chapter to the book Surveying the Old Testament Prophets in which he explored the biblical book of Lamentations, the topic of our discussion today.