A 'Free Speech' God

Today’s gathering was a journey through the honest, raw, and sometimes uncomfortable territory of our souls. We began by lifting our voices in songs that remind us of God’s saving love and sustaining power, even when we feel far from the “peaceful shore.” There was a call to pray for strength—not just for our bodies, but for our hearts and minds, so that we might walk and live in a way that pleases God, even when life feels overwhelming.

We explored the deep freedom God gives us in prayer, especially in seasons of lament. Drawing from Psalm 137, we saw how God’s people, after enduring unimaginable trauma and injustice, were given space to speak their pain, anger, and even their desire for vengeance. God does not require us to sanitize our emotions before coming to Him. Instead, He invites us to bring the full weight of our grief, frustration, and confusion into His presence. Lament is not a lack of faith—it is a refusal to lie to God or ourselves about how we really feel.

We learned that naming our wounds, our enemies, and our pain in prayer is not just cathartic—it shifts the power dynamic. When we name what hurts us, we also remember the God who helps us. Prayer is not about pretending to be okay; it’s about being real so that God’s truth can meet us where we are. God’s covenant with us is so strong that He can handle our ugliest confessions, our most desperate cries, and even our unrighteous desires. He listens seriously, even when He doesn’t take our words literally, knowing that honesty is the first step toward healing.

We also saw that the imprecatory prayers—the ones that call down curses—are not endorsements of vengeance, but expressions of deep pain. By voicing these things to God, we place retaliation in His hands, trusting His justice rather than acting out of our own brokenness. The story of Psalm 137 is ultimately a story of survival. The psalm was written after the exile, after deliverance, as a testimony that God’s people made it through. Our own stories, too, are marked by moments when we survived what we thought would break us. On the other side, we find ourselves wiser, stronger, and able to praise God not because we ignored our pain, but because we brought it honestly to Him and found healing.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God Invites Honest Lament, Not Pretended Praise God does not require us to filter or sanitize our emotions before coming to Him. Lament is a sacred language that allows us to express our deepest pain, anger, and confusion without fear of rejection. By being honest in prayer, we avoid the spiritual hypocrisy of pretending to be “okay” when we are not, and we open ourselves to true healing. [79:53]
• 2. Naming Your Wounds Shifts the Power Dynamic When we name our pain, our enemies, and the specific ways we’ve been hurt, we do more than vent—we remember our Helper. Naming the negatives in our lives points us back to the God who sustains us, taking power away from what happened and giving it to the One who can heal and restore. This act of naming is both an act of faith and a step toward freedom. [101:14]
• 3. God’s Grace Makes Space for Our Rawest Emotions God’s covenant love is so secure that He allows us to say things in prayer that may be ugly, vengeful, or even unrighteous. He listens seriously, but does not always take us literally, knowing that our honesty is the beginning of transformation. This grace-filled space prevents our pain from becoming toxic and allows us to process rather than suppress. [105:37]
• 4. Prayer Is Where We Work Through, Not Act Out, Our Pain Imprecatory prayers—those that call for vengeance—are not endorsements of violence, but confessions of deep hurt. By voicing these desires to God, we leave justice in His hands and avoid acting out of our own brokenness. Prayer becomes the place where we process our emotions so they do not control our actions. [113:18]
• 5. Survival and Testimony Come After Honest Struggle Psalm 137 was written after deliverance, as a testimony from survivors. Our own stories of survival are shaped by seasons when we brought our pain honestly to God and found that He brought us through. On the other side of lament, we discover wisdom, strength, and a deeper capacity to praise—not because we ignored our pain, but because we faced it with God. [118:17]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [07:32] - Love Lifted Me: Opening Hymn
• [11:14] - Declaration of Faith and Joy
• [16:00] - Prayer for Strength and Healing
• [23:19] - Laying Our Burdens Before God
• [25:19] - Declaring Faithfulness in Difficult Times
• [33:21] - Fellowship and Community
• [45:07] - Praise and Worship
• [76:19] - The Freedom of Prayer
• [78:56] - The Language of Lament
• [81:57] - Worship in Exile: Hanging Up Our Harps
• [87:28] - God’s Grace for Raw Emotions
• [96:08] - Naming Your Wounds and Enemies
• [101:14] - Shifting Power by Naming and Remembering God
• [113:18] - Processing Pain Without Acting Out
• [117:05] - Testimony After Survival
• [120:15] - Honest Praise After Deliverance
• [122:48] - Invitation to Be Real With God

Bible Reading

Psalm 137 (ESV) — By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there we hung up our lyres.
For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!”
O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!
Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

Romans 8:26 (ESV) — Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Observation Questions

1. In Psalm 137, what emotions do God’s people express as they remember their exile and suffering? What actions do they take with their harps and their songs? ([01:21:57])
2. According to the sermon, what is the significance of the Israelites naming the Edomites and their actions in their prayer? ([01:36:08])
3. What is an “imprecatory prayer,” and how is it used in Psalm 137? ([01:51:30])
4. In Romans 8:26, what does Paul say the Spirit does for us when we don’t know how to pray?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does the psalmist (and the preacher) say it’s important to be honest with God about our pain, anger, and even our ugliest emotions? How does this honesty relate to faith? ([01:19:53])
2. What does it mean that “naming your wounds shifts the power dynamic”? How does this act of naming help us remember God as our Helper? ([01:41:14])
3. The sermon says that God “listens seriously, but does not always take us literally.” What does this reveal about God’s character and His relationship with us? ([01:45:37])
4. How does praying our pain and anger to God (instead of acting on it) help us process and heal, according to the sermon? ([01:53:18])

Application Questions

1. The sermon says, “God does not require us to filter or sanitize our emotions before coming to Him.” When was the last time you were completely honest with God in prayer—even if it was messy or uncomfortable? What happened? ([01:19:53])
2. Is there a wound, enemy, or painful memory in your life that you have avoided naming in prayer? What would it look like to bring that honestly before God this week? ([01:36:08])
3. The preacher talked about “imprecatory prayers”—prayers that voice our desire for vengeance or justice. Have you ever prayed something you knew wasn’t “holy,” but it was how you really felt? How did God meet you in that moment? ([01:51:30])
4. The sermon says, “Prayer is where we work through, not act out, our pain.” Are there emotions or situations in your life right now that you are tempted to act out of, rather than pray through? What would it look like to process those with God instead? ([01:53:18])
5. Psalm 137 was written after the exile, as a testimony from survivors. Can you think of a time when you survived something you thought would break you? How did God bring you through, and what wisdom or strength did you gain on the other side? ([01:58:17])
6. The sermon says, “God’s covenant with us is so strong that He can handle our ugliest confessions, our most desperate cries, and even our unrighteous desires.” Is there something you’ve been holding back from God because you thought it was too much? What would it take to trust Him with it? ([01:45:37])
7. The preacher challenged us to “reset your trust” in God’s grace and presence. What is one step you can take this week to be more real with God in your prayers, even if you’re not at the “praise God” place right now? ([01:34:37])