Become New with John Ortberg

How long can you carry something before it breaks you?
And what do you do when God feels… silent?

In this teaching on Psalm 13, John Ortberg walks us through one of the most honest prayers in Scripture: “How long, O Lord?”

When pain lingers, when answers don’t come, and when God feels distant, we face a choice. We can grumble—turning inward in bitterness and withdrawal—or we can groan—bringing our pain honestly before God.

This Psalm shows us how to lament in a way that leads somewhere. Not by denying pain, but by bringing it fully into God’s presence.

If you’re carrying something heavy right now—a relationship, anxiety, loss, or a long unanswered prayer—this teaching will help you turn that pain into prayer.

📚 Today's Resources:

Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma 

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Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 – Opening Prayer
00:18 – Psalm 13: Bring Your “How Long”
00:53 – “Will You Forget Me Forever?”
01:30 – What “How Long” Really Means
01:59 – When You Don’t Know the Finish Line
02:15 – When God Feels Hidden
02:36 – The Panic of Not Finding What Matters
03:20 – How the Body Holds Pain
03:46 – Why Pain Lingers in Us
04:15 – What Is Your “How Long”?
04:34 – Naming Real-Life Pain
05:05 – Two Ways to Respond to Pain
05:18 – Grumbling vs Groaning
05:58 – What Grumbling Does to the Soul
06:19 – What Groaning Looks Like
06:51 – Groaning = Honest Faith
07:18 – How This Plays Out in Real Life
07:37 – Warning Against Grumbling
08:02 – Groaning for the World’s Pain
08:23 – Creation Is Groaning
08:56 – When You Don’t Have Words
09:28 – God Groans With You
09:53 – The Turning Point: “But I Trust…”
10:25 – What Actually Changes?
10:56 – Lament Opens the Door to Praise
11:23 – Bring Your “How Long” to God
11:46 – When Hope Begins to Rise
12:04 – From Lament to Praise

Everyone’s talking about mindfulness… but what if we’ve missed the most important part?
What if the key isn’t your mind being focused—but God’s mind being focused on you?

In this teaching on Psalm 8, John Ortberg explores a deeper kind of mindfulness—one that begins not with your attention, but with God’s.

While we often struggle with distraction, anxiety, and rumination, Psalm 8 reveals something surprising: God is fully, constantly mindful of you. His attention never drifts. His care never wavers.
Through reflection, Scripture, and guided prayer, this teaching invites you to step into praise, re-center your mind, and experience what it means to live in the awareness of God’s presence.

You’ll also learn how to pray the Psalm—turning your attention from distraction to delight, and from anxiety to awe.

Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

📚 Today's Resources:

Thomas Merton, Praying the Psalms (1956)
Mark Ralls, “Mindful: Psalm 8,” The Christian Century, 15 May 2007.
Eugene Peterson, Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer (1991)
C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (1958)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible (1940)
Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller, The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions In the Psalms (2015)
James W. Sire, Praying the Psalms of Jesus (2007)
Walter Bruggeman, Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit (1995)

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00:00 – Opening Prayer
 00:18 – Learning to Pray the Psalms
 00:42 – From Wisdom → Lament → Praise
 01:02 – Do You Struggle With Your Mind?
 01:27 – Resources on Praying the Psalms
 02:17 – “Lord, Our Lord…” (Starting With God)
 02:50 – What “God’s Name” Really Means
 03:22 – God’s Glory in All the Earth
 03:49 – The Power of Childlike Praise
 04:25 – “What Is Mankind?” (The Big Question)
 04:55 – Why Praise Feels So Empty Today
 05:46 – Why We Struggle to Praise God
 06:08 – Do You Actually Want God?
 06:54 – No Blueprint for Ecstasy
 07:23 – Practicing Attention and Reflection
 07:54 – What Is Mindfulness (Really)?
 08:20 – The Universe Exists in God’s Mind
 08:42 – God Is Mindful of You
 09:11 – The Acorn Illustration (Are You Paying Attention?)
 09:54 – God Is Never Distracted
 10:14 – Because God Is Mindful… We Can Be Too
 10:25 – Practicing Presence (Breath + Spirit)
 10:57 – “Present to the Presence in the Present”
 11:15 – Why Psalm 8 Ends Where It Begins
 11:32 – You Are Held in God’s Attention
 11:52 – Seeing Others as Image Bearers
 12:02 – Living With Joy, Gratitude, and Praise

We live in a world obsessed with predicting the future… and terrified of it.
So how do you actually live when everything feels uncertain?

In this teaching on Psalm 3, John Ortberg explores one of the most universal human struggles: uncertainty. We don’t know what’s coming next—and instead of trusting God, we often try to control, predict, or even “gamble” on the future.
But Psalm 3 offers a different way. It begins in fear and pressure—real enemies, real anxiety—and moves toward trust, surrender, and confidence in God’s presence.
This teaching will help you name the “foes” in your life (both internal and external), bring your honest thoughts to God, and discover what it means to live with courage—even when the future is unclear.
You’ll also be guided to pray the Psalm yourself, learning how to turn anxiety into conversation with God.

📚 Today's Resources:
McKay Coppins, “Sucker: My Year as a Degenerate Gambler,” The Atlantic, 12 March 2026

Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF
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⏱️ Chapters (retention-focused)
00:00 – Opening Prayer
 00:15 – The Big Question: How Do You Handle Uncertainty?
 00:30 – We Understand Life Backwards, Live It Forwards
 00:49 – How We Try to Control the Future
 01:12 – The Explosion of Gambling Culture
 02:39 – Even Betting on the Second Coming?!
 03:04 – A Better Way: Turn to God
 03:32 – Psalm 3: Where Prayer Begins
 03:58 – Start With One Word: “Lord”
 04:23 – Practicing God’s Presence (Candle + Chair)
 05:07 – “How Many Are My Foes?”
 05:44 – Naming Your Real Enemies (Anxiety, Hurry, Envy…)
 06:40 – Personal and Relational Pain
 07:01 – When You Can’t Fix What’s Broken
 07:26 – God as Shield, Glory, and Lifter of Your Head
 08:20 – You Don’t Have to Prove Yourself
 08:43 – From Shame to Confidence
 09:27 – The Real Test of Your Life
 09:48 – Can You Sleep in Peace?
 10:14 – Waking Up: Life Is a Gift
 10:34 – “Arise, Lord” (Resurrection Power)
 10:56 – What Does “Break Their Teeth” Mean?
 11:18 – Pray What You Actually Feel
 11:46 – Where Deliverance Comes From
 11:57 – Make This Psalm Your Prayer Today

What if your life is already headed in a direction… and you didn’t choose it?
Psalm 1 says there are only two ways to live and only one leads to flourishing.

In this opening teaching of a new series on the Psalms, John Ortberg invites us into one of the most important questions we can ask: What is my way of life leading to?
Psalm 1 describes a person who is “blessed”—not just happy, but deeply rooted, steady, and flourishing. And it contrasts that life with another path we can slowly drift into without even noticing. Through reflection, story, and guided prayer, this teaching helps you examine your own direction and begin to re-center your life around God.
You’ll also be invited to actually pray the Psalm—to let it shape your thoughts, your desires, and your daily decisions.

📚 Today's Resources:
Thomas Merton, Praying the Psalms 
Markham Heid, “The Number of Words You Say in a Day is Shrinking,” Time, 28 April 2026.
McKay Coppins, “Sucker: My Year as a Degenerate Gambler,” The Atlantic, 12 March 2026
Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

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00:00 – Opening Prayer: “May the words…”
 00:22 – Why Prayer Matters to God
 01:25 – The Psalms: Every Emotion with God
 02:41 – Why the Psalms Transform Us
 03:02 – Do You Need Wisdom Right Now?
 03:32 – What Does “Blessed” Really Mean?
 04:18 – Everyone Has a Way of Life
 04:44 – Flourishing vs. Drifting
 05:09 – The Danger of Slow Drift
 05:40 – Walking → Standing → Sitting (The Progression)
 06:29 – Modern Life Is Forming You (More Than You Think)
 07:13 – Even “Religious” Lives Can Miss This
 07:40 – The Tree Planted by Water
 08:10 – What It Means to Meditate on God
 08:52 – Training Your Mind to Delight
 09:21 – What You Fill Your Mind With Shapes You
 09:43 – Two Ways to See People: Exploit or Love
 10:35 – The “Wicked” vs “Righteous” (In All of Us)
 10:58 – Guided Prayer: Ask God for Flourishing
 11:37 – Where Do You Need Wisdom Today?

Did you enjoy this teaching on Forgiveness? Download the free print and go study guide to experience the journey in its fullness: becomenew.com/study-guides

Is reconciliation really possible… after betrayal?
In one of the most powerful stories in the Bible, we see the answer: yes—but it’s complicated.
In today’s teaching, we walk through the story of Joseph and his brothers—a story filled with jealousy, betrayal, suffering, and ultimately… forgiveness and reconciliation. This is not a neat or easy process. It’s messy, emotional, and deeply human.
But it reveals something extraordinary:
 God can bring healing even to the most broken relationships.
Because forgiveness is powerful…
 but reconciliation? That’s a miracle.

📚 Today's Resources:
Workbook resource by Everett Worthington (forgiveness process): 
https://bit.ly/REACHWorksheet

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📲 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
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Music Credits:
Beyond by Waes Hael MB01C7DBTWRVYUQ