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Crying Out to God: Experiencing Grace Through Psalms of Lament—An 8-Week Bible Study with Video Access, By Wendy Alsup
Crying Out to God
Paperback
  • Length: 160 pages
  • Dimensions: 7 × 9.5 in
  • Number of Studies: 8
  • Published: March 24, 2026
  • Imprint: IVP Bible Studies
  • ISBN: 9781514010891
Other Formats:

Finding God's Grace Through Lament

"I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me."—Psalm 77:1

What do we do with our pain? So much in our world is simply not right: Disease. Death. Destruction. But we don't have to look to the news to know that things aren't okay. Our neighborhoods, our churches, and even our families ache with the everyday troubles of this life. Whether our response is rage or tears or numbness, the Bible offers an avenue forour pain: lament.

In Crying Out to God, Wendy Alsup uses psalms of lament to give words to our often-wordless cries. During this eight-week study, we learn that God not only allows our complaints about all that is not right, but he also welcomes our protests and tears. And we discover that God meets us in our lament, giving us his remarkable grace and provision in our time of need.

Crying Out to God features:

  • 8-week Bible study experience with accompanying videos
  • Flexible format and helpful suggestions for using this book with large groups, small groups, one-on-one, or for solo study
  • Group sessions include 10-minute video lessons and discussion questions
  • 5 days of engaging study each week to deepen your faith
  • Reflection on a different Psalm each week

In this study, you'll join Wendy in exploring the dark, the hard, and the wrong in this world. Name it before the Lord and allowGod through the Scriptures to meet you in it. You'll find grace in your time of need, your community's time of need, and our world's time of need. You'll find that God has not left you to journey through the darkness alone.

Curriculum Details

This eight-week study is suitable for individuals or groups of any size. Every purchase of Crying Out to God includes eight days of individual study and reflection each week, as well as weekly teaching videos and questions from Wendy Alsup for group discussion or individual reflection. Discussion questions and QR code for video access are included in each copy of Crying Out to God.

  • Week 1: Help, Lord—Psalm 12
  • Week 2: An Owl Among the Ruins—Psalm 102
  • Week 3: Darkness Is My Only Friend—Psalm 88
  • Week 4: My Feet Nearly Slipped—Psalm 73
  • Week 5: Listen to My Prayer—Psalm 55
  • Week 6: I Think of You and Groan—Psalm 77
  • Week 7: Save Me, God—Psalm 69
  • Week 8: Restore Our Fortunes—Psalm 126

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Read an Excerpt

"For the weary, the discouraged, the sick, and the suffering, the psalms of lament express the anguish of our souls. In Crying Out to God: Experiencing Grace through Psalms of Lament, Wendy Alsup offers a faithful and tender guide through these songs of sorrow. With wisdom and compassion, she helps readers bring their pain before the Lord while holding fast to his comfort and grace. This study is a balm for those walking through suffering—and for those who walk beside them."Melissa Kruger, author and vice president of discipleship at The Gospel Coalition
"Many of us long to pour out our unfiltered protests to God but wonder if it's allowed. Through the psalms of lament, Crying Out to God shows that our cries are not only permitted but invited. With vulnerable storytelling, biblical insight, and thoughtful questions, Wendy Alsup leads readers into the richness and power of lament. This study doesn't just teach—it helps you practice lament as a way to draw near to God. I wholeheartedly recommend this book."Vaneetha Rendall Risner, author of Watching for the Morning and Walking Through Fire
"Wendy Alsup is a sufferer who is teaching other sufferers to cry out to God. Our God is a father who delights in speaking to his children, and he is a father who delights in his children speaking to him. In his kindness, he gave us the book of Psalms because he knows it is hard to put our thoughts and emotions into words when we are hard pressed. You don't have to cry alone. Wendy's book invites you to cry with a community of sufferers past and present, crying out to God in spirit and in truth."Irene Sun, author of Gathering Gold by Moonlight
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CONTENTS

Introduction
How to Use This Book

Week 1: Help, Lord, Psalm 12
Week 2: Have Compassion, Psalm 102
Week 3: Darkness Is My Only Friend, Psalm 88
Week 4: My Feet Nearly Slipped, Psalm 73
Week 5: Listen to My Prayer, Psalm 55
Week 6: I Think of You and Groan, Psalm 77
Week 7: Save Me, God, Psalm 69
Week 8: Restore Our Fortunes, Lord, Psalm 126

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Wendy Alsup

Wendy Alsup began her public ministry as deacon of women's theology and teaching at her church in Seattle. She now lives on her family farm in South Carolina where she teaches math at a local community college and is a mother to her two sons. Shehas written for Christianity Today, Modern Reformation, and The Gospel Coalition and is the author of Companions in Suffering: Comfort for Times of Loss and Loneliness.