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

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Music Credits:
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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