New Creation Albuquerque

Praying with Sinners & Saints: Psalm 13 - Sarah Dumas

·34 min·3 clips
A pastor admits she lied about being okay, her tears betraying a hidden fear she needed to name before God.
The episode is part of a summer series on prayer, transitioning from the Lord's Prayer to using Psalms for different life seasons. Host Sarah Dumas introduces Psalms of disorientation, focusing on Psalm 13, described as a 'howling Psalm' by Spurgeon. Participants share reflections, including one man's 10-year wait for community and another's use of gratitude to calm anxiety. The host analyzes Psalm 13's structure: address to Yahweh, complaint, plea for help, and praise. She shares a personal story about her family's sudden disorientation three and a half years ago, where she cried while claiming to be okay, highlighting the need for honest lament. The discussion covers communal aspects of disorientation, referencing Psalm 137 and the Israelites in exile. The host explains that Psalms of disorientation are not one-time prayers but recurring practices throughout the 150 Psalms. She uses a story from the book 'In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson' about a lost immigrant girl in 1947 Brooklyn as a metaphor for how Psalms help us admit our true location to God. The episode emphasizes bringing every experience into Jesus' healing presence, with God as a father who guides us home without chastisement.

As heard by us

A prayerful reflection on the Psalms for seasons when faith feels disoriented.

The episode fits a summer series on prayer and treats the Psalms like a working prayer book for ordinary life. It is strongest when it moves between personal cry and shared lament, then settles that idea in a family story about disorientation, fear, and the relief of saying…

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Why you'd press play

When your prayers start with fear, this gives you a place to begin.

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