Lament is a form of Prayer

…”The first important thing to observe about lament is that it is a form of prayer. Over one third of the psalms are laments, so they form a large portion of the Bible’s ‘prayer book’. These psalms are addressed to God. The petitioner turns to God in both profound need and profound trust. Despite the experience of trauma or suffering, the speaker of the lament psalms longs for a continuing communion with God.”

 Reverend Dr Jeanette Mathews in ‘Lament psalms’ (pdf)

 …”lament  is  the  language  of  hope,  for lament and hope  are “flipsides of  the  same coin”. One could also say that lament and faith are inseparable. For without faith that God cares and will do something, one would not bother to ‘pour oneself out’ to God. In our modern world, complaint and  lack of faith have been equated, but  the converse  is true. Lament can enrich a naïve view of faith. It does not represent a failure of faith, but an act of faith. The lamenter recognises his utter dependence on God, and consequently “gives full rein to his lament as the expression of his belief that no human aid can avail him anything”, but that “God in his [sic] great love and compassion will not resist his plea.” Complaint to a fellow human being would be simply complaint, but as it is addressed to God, “this makes all the difference”, it becomes an act of faith.”

June Frances Dickie in ‘Examples of Contemporary Laments (Based on Biblical Laments), Illustrating Theological Insights’, 

November 2018   Scriptura117(1):1-15

Psalms and Prayers of Lament

…”We can watch our world collapse without warning, and we are pulled down into what seems a dark pit. In this pace of disorientation hangs a great sense of abandonment. The psalmist moans, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Ps 22:1). Our usual response to this rupture of our equilibrium is denial. We want to believe that things are really OK, but even if we know they are not, we certainly do not want anyone else to know. Our denial forces us to cover up. We put on a happy face, and our isolation grows more intense. 

A number of psalms give voice to experiences of abandonment in this broken and terrifying place long before the time of Christ. These psalms of lament, which are the most numerous in the Book of Psalms, are audacious affirmations of faith. They bring this harsh brokenness to God, resisting the temptation to deny reality. Those who prayed these laments were confident that God would understand their negative language. When we are in a time of disorientation, praying these psalms challenges our desire to keep up a good front and helps us bring to speech those feelings we might otherwise keep hidden. In one typical lament the psalmist cries out four time, "How long?" and insists that God answer this prayer. (See Ps 13:1-3). 

The language of the lament psalms can seem scandalous. How can faithful people speak to God that way? Often we want to make excuses for such outspokenness. We may even be uncomfortable with these prayers. Yet they are the collective prayers of a people in pain. They are not magical, however; praying these psalms will not make everything better. But unless they are spoken, we run the risk of trivializing our relationship with God. The language of the lament calls upon God by name and expects a response. It takes a great faith to be so candid. 

Every one of the lament psalms except Psalm 88 concludes with a prayer of thanksgiving. It would be simplistic to suppose that once the lament had been prayed the person's complaint was immediately answered and life was restored. We do not know how many weeks, months, or even years passed before the psalmist could utter those words of thanks signaling the end of the lament. But concluding with a prayer of thanksgiving reflects our faith that God will rescue us and bring us up from the depths.”

by Fr. William J. Parker as quoted at: http://www.ascensioncatholic.net/TOPICS/bible/Psalms.html

(sourced 5/10/ 2013)

…”It is there [the books of the Old Testament] that I find the courage to name and acknowledge the tough stuff of life. It is there that I find the language to bring all of who I am to God, in pain, in anger, and in hope.

In these writings we learn an important lesson about suffering. It is OK to talk about it. Staying silent is not the answer. In the Psalms, Job and Lamentations, we encounter people calling, ranting, pleading and protesting to God out of their experiences of pain. Silence and shutting down emotion are not seen as viable or healthy options. Talking is laid out as the way to engage with God in the midst of pain. And in that tough place, God will be present.

One third of the psalms are lament psalms which call out to God in times of distress. Laments often have a similar shape: they call out to God, they name the distress or suffering, and they ask God to bring relief. These are truly hopeful psalms. They assume that God hears the prayers of God’s people, and they believe that God can and will act. 

Nothing is out of bounds in the naming of suffering. In lament psalms, in Job and in Lamentations, we hear complaint about personal dimensions of suffering – physical pain, anguish, and turmoil; we hear complaint about the actions of others, the enemies, who harm or ridicule; and we hear complaints about God – both what God has and what God has not done. It’s all there, it's all named. God is assumed to be present to the pain, and present with the sufferer. 

Even darker and more frightening emotions are brought to God. Anger and the desire for vengeance are named – not to be acted upon, but also not hidden as if they didn’t exist. Even our darkest emotions can be brought before God. 

And God welcomes that honesty.” 

Dr Liz Boase Dean, (School of Graduate Research at University of Divinity, Melb.) in New Times - October 2012 - Theodicy - God and suffering, pp 14-15. 

https://sa.uca.org.au/documents/new-times/2012/New-Times-October-2012.pdf