Why You Shouldn't Pray Every Psalm

About this sermon

Should you pray every line of every Psalm? In this reflection on Psalm 109, John Ortberg tackles one of the most difficult passages in the Bible—and offers one of the most freeing insights of the entire Psalms series. What do we do with prayers that sound angry, vengeful, or even shocking? Drawing on the work of René Girard, John explains that the Psalms are not polished theological essays. They are honest prayers in process. They teach us how to bring our real emotions into God's presence without pretending, suppressing, or acting on them. This episode explores: - Psalm 109 and the imprecatory psalms - Why the Bible gives voice to victims - The difference between words and actions - Internal processors vs. external processors - Why prayer is a journey, not a performance - How Jesus Himself prayed the Psalms Scriptures: - Psalm 109 - Psalms 113–118 - Matthew 5:43–48 - Matthew 26:30 #Psalm109 #JohnOrtberg #Prayer #Psalms #RenéGirard #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #HonestPrayer #Jesus 📚 Today's Resources: René Girard, I See Satan Fall Like Lightning Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird Lewis Smedes, Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve 🙌 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 "Don't Pray the Psalms" 00:32 The Prayer Book of Jesus 01:25 Psalm 109 Begins 02:07 One of the Harshest Prayers in Scripture 03:04 Are We Supposed to Pray This? 03:46 Giving Voice to Victims 05:19 Words, Not Actions 06:10 "But You, Sovereign Lord..." 06:56 When the Heart Begins to Turn 07:47 Does God Hate the Same People You Do? 08:24 A Story of Deep Betrayal 09:36 "I Hate Him" 10:40 Honest Prayer Changes Us 11:26 Internal vs. External Processors 13:05 The Psalms Are External Processing 14:00 Let the Psalms Shape Your Prayer 15:18 Jesus and Loving Your Enemies

Topics

• Prayer
• Bible Study