Why You Don’t Know How to Pray Your Emotions (with Rankin Wilbourne)

About this sermon

Most people don’t know how to pray their emotions… even after years of faith. What if the Psalms were meant to teach you how? In this conversation, John Ortberg sits down with author and pastor Rankin Wilbourne to explore a life-changing idea: learning to pray your emotions. Many of us either suppress our feelings or let them control us—but the Psalms offer a better way. They give us language, permission, and structure to bring our real selves before God. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why most people struggle to pray honestly - The difference between suppressing, expressing, and praying emotions - A simple framework to process emotions with God (OWN: Observe, Welcome, Name) - What “pre-reflective prayer” means—and why it matters This is Part 1 of a 3-part conversation. 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT us at 51504 EMAIL US at connect@becomenew.com GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text NEW to 51504 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team DOWNLOAD FREE STUDY GUIDES: BecomeNew.com/study-guides 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF 00:00 – Opening + Introducing Rankin Wilbourne 00:55 – What the Psalms Are Really For 01:35 – “Pray Your Emotions” (Why This Is Hard) 02:02 – Tim Keller’s Insight on Prayer 02:46 – Two Common Mistakes With Emotions 03:14 – Why Christians Struggle With Feelings 03:46 – A Better Way: Don’t Deny, Don’t Enshrine 04:17 – The OWN Framework (Observe, Welcome, Name) 05:18 – Why Naming Emotions Heals 05:40 – What Mister Rogers Got Right 06:09 – “What’s Mentionable Is Manageable” 07:12 – Pouring Out Your Heart to God 07:36 – Why We Try to Fix Instead of Feel 08:09 – Permission to Be Human Before God 08:38 – How to Actually Practice This 09:04 – Learning Prayer by Praying 09:34 – “Trust and Pour Out Your Heart” 10:00 – Why We Avoid Our Own Hearts 10:25 – The Problem of “Willed Loneliness” 11:01 – Vulnerability Before God 11:34 – Does God Really Want This From Me? 11:59 – What Is Pre-Reflective Prayer? 12:26 – When Theology Gets in the Way 13:05 – Practice: Name What You’re Feeling 13:53 – Why This Matters (Preview of Part 2)

Topics

• Prayer