Walking with God Through the Valley

"A fantastic book! Not only do we learn more about lament, but we are propelled through personal examples to practice lament individually and communally. May this book help the church recover lament as a central part of life with God."

-Andrew Abernethy, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College

"Walking with God Through the Valley: Recovering the Purpose of Biblical Lament is a carefully woven tapestry centered on an undervalued but oh-so essential thread of life—lament. Dr. Young skillfully amplifies the promised healing and liberation revealed when we lean into personal and communal lament. Readers will see that recovering biblical lament avails us to the healing, humility, and hindsight our soul longs to posture."

-Lori E. Banfield, lecturer of psychology and practical theology at Eastern University and author of Walking Worthy of My Calling: Journey Back to the Likeness of God

"May Young's book speaks to the heart, the head, and the hands. This book shows how lament addresses a profound need in the church and in our lives to share our deepest and hardest feelings with God. Young combines meaningful stories of pain, loss, and hope with solid biblical insights about the history and theology of lament, its place in the Bible, and its purpose in our lives today. By offering reflection questions and suggestions for individual and corporate lament practices, every reader is encouraged to participate. This book will be a valuable gift to students and congregations alike!"

-Beth Stovell, professor of Old Testament and chair of general theological studies at Ambrose University in Alberta, Canada

"In this stimulating and accessible study, May Young explores the misunderstood and underused genre of lament in the Bible with an eye to making lament come to life for both individuals and the corporate church as a whole. Drawing on her own personal experiences of loss, frustration, and anger, she shows that laments are not merely about 'sadness,' but that they can be a rich resource in many different situations, including sin and repentance, doubt, anger, loneliness, sickness and pain, death and loss. Her title well captures the running thread that she traces through the laments: that God walks with us throughout, and we are not alone. I highly recommend this book!"

-David M. Howard, Jr., professor of Old Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota