"Lament is not always quiet. Lament is also a complaint that things are not the way God intended them to be. The Psalm writers shout at God, 'Listen! Remember! Vindicate! Save!' Our laments need to be fully voiced in protest and not denied or swept under the rug. "When was the last time you gave yourself permission to lament?//Lament Psalm Twenty Seven by Ann WeemsO God of my heart,it is your name I callwhen the stars do not come out.O God of my soul, it is to you I turn when the torrents of terrordrown me.O God of mercy,it is for your hand I reachwhen I stumbleon the stones of sorrow.O God of justice,it is to you I crywhen the landslide of grief buries me.  I stand beneath the nightwhere the stars used to shineand remembergazing mesmerizedat the luminaries of the skyuntil I could walkthe ink-blue beachbetween their shining.Then their shining stopped,for they left the sky,and you, O God,left with them. And I am left alonebeneath a starless skywith a starless heartthat barely beats. Will your stars never shine again?Will they never againspeak of your mystery?Will they never again singtheir songsto my soul?Will I never again know the wonderof the Godof star and sky? O God of my heart,peel back the nightand let the starlightpour out uponmy upturned face.Let my eyes drinka sky of stars.Let my heart bathein the stunning lightuntil my soul sings againwith the conviction of the faithful. In your mercy and justice,O God of my heart,call me by name,and the stars will shineonce more,As they didon that morningwhen they first beganto sing. //This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Ellen Robison. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms and Delican't by Podington Bear, The First Person Awake by Will Bangs, and Consider the Stars by Keith & Kristyn Getty.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.