Why You Should Stop Having a “Quiet Time”

About this sermon

Why would God include violent prayers in the Bible? In this deeply challenging teaching on Psalm 137, John Ortberg explores anger, injustice, enemies, suffering, and why the Psalms are far more emotionally honest than most modern spirituality. John begins with a provocative statement: “You should stop having a quiet time.” Using reflections from Eugene Peterson, this episode explores the difference between prayer that merely calms us down and prayer that honestly confronts evil, grief, and the brokenness of the world. This episode explores: - Why Psalm 137 feels so disturbing - The role of anger and indignation - Why suppressed hatred is spiritually dangerous - Prayer as honesty before God - Jesus, enemy-love, and the Psalms - “Our hate needs to be prayed, not suppressed” Featuring reflections on: - Eugene Peterson - C.S. Lewis - René Girard Scriptures: - Psalm 137 - Ephesians 6:12 - Matthew 5:44 #Psalm137 #JohnOrtberg #Prayer #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #Psalms #EugenePeterson #Justice #Forgiveness #BibleStudy 📚 Today's Resources: Eugene H. Peterson, Answering God: The Psalms As Tools for Prayer René Girard, The Scapegoat 🙌 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 Introduction: “Stop Having a Quiet Time” 00:25 Eugene Peterson on Pseudo-Prayer 01:30 “Prayer Is Combat” 02:26 Why the Psalms Talk So Much About Enemies 03:11 Enter Psalm 137 04:10 “How Can We Sing in a Foreign Land?” 04:38 The Most Disturbing Verse in the Psalm 05:13 Why This Psalm Shocks Modern Readers 05:36 The Psalms Refuse Sanitized Spirituality 06:00 Two Kinds of Violence in the Psalms 06:40 René Girard, Victims & Scapegoats 07:08 Indignation, Anger & Injustice 08:06 Why People Want These Psalms Removed 09:03 “Our Hate Needs to Be Prayed” 09:55 Suppressed Anger & False Spirituality 10:18 Jesus, Enemy Love & the Psalms 11:23 Dare to Be Real With God

Topics

• Peace