When things in your life don’t go to plan, and you hit a hard spot, what are you saying to God in that situation? Or perhaps a better question is: what do you feel that God wants to hear from you at that time? Do you think He only wants to hear praise and positivity, regardless of what’s going on? Or maybe you feel so fixated on your problem that it’s hard to even pray at all.

But in these moments, God is longing for real connection with us. The question is: how can we get there, and what does that really look like?

In the Psalms, we get a unique glimpse into what is going on in David’s heart and how he responded to God in some of the most difficult moments of his life.

In 1 Samuel 21:10–15, David finds himself in a vulnerable position. He has fled from Saul into the Philistine city of Gath, where he is recognized and captured.

David honestly expresses what’s going on in his soul in this moment in Psalm 56 (NLT). This psalm may have been written at a later point, but I believe it gives us a true reflection of what was going on inside David at that moment.

In verses 1 to 2, he outlines to God what is happening, that he is continually under attack and surrounded by his enemies.

Then in verse 3 he shares:

“But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.”

David is clear that he is feeling fear, and he doesn’t hide that from God. But he also makes a choice in his fear that he is going to turn towards God, despite how he is feeling, and that he is going to choose to trust in Him.

In verse 4, David says:

“I praise God for what he has promised.”

In this moment of fear and persecution, David remembers the promises God has already spoken to him.

He continues:

“I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?”

He remembers who God is and brings his situation into perspective. His confidence has grown as he does this. He now says he trusts in God rather than just choosing to trust Him.

In verses 5 to 6, David again focuses on what is happening to him. His enemies are watching him and plotting against him.

But in verse 7, he cries out to God, calling on Him to “bring them down.”

He is no longer intimidated by his enemies, but filled with bold faith that God can do something to intervene.

Through this psalm, there is a clear journey, a movement of David’s heart from fear to confidence. He is honest with God about his fear, but he chooses to trust in God as he remembers His promises, which results in David praising the Lord but also in him placing his confidence in God. In verses 10-11 he repeats his praise to the Lord but also the line, ‘I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?’ It highlights his now bold confidence in God, as he declares again that because he trusts in God, he has no reason to be afraid.

This is just one example of the many Davidic psalms in the Bible, but often there is a pattern of common elements that we can see in them.

1: Honesty. David tells God what he is experiencing.

2: Emotion. He shares how he feels. Fear, anger, sadness, loneliness, frustration, and distress are all brought openly before God.

3: Crying out. David tells God that he needs Him. He asks for God to help or intervene.

4: Remembering. David begins to remember God’s character, His promises, and His faithfulness.

5: Trust. The circumstances may not have changed, but David’s perspective begins to change and he puts his faith in God once again.

6: Praise. David finds something true about God that he can praise Him for, even in the middle of difficult circumstances.

7: Testimony. David’s personal experience with God becomes something he can use to encourage others.

The psalms of David aren’t typically written from the perspective of everything’s wonderful, so I’m going to praise God. And furthermore, by the end of the psalm, whatever is happening often hasn’t been fixed or gone away.

But we see a pivotal moment in David’s heart where he shifts from focusing on his circumstances to bringing them into the bigger reality of who God is.

This blog post has evolved out of a Bible study session I wrote for my small group at church.

At the end of the session, I suggested we had a go at writing our own psalms. I think people were a bit taken aback initially, like I was asking them to write a piece of poetry! However, everybody really enjoyed it and it became a special moment as some people shared their vulnerable hearts through what they had written.

And I really want to encourage you, if you’re reading this, to have a go at writing your own psalm too.

Have a think about an area of your life where things have been difficult, either from the past or something current.

Ask yourself: What does my heart want to say to God about this?

You could use Psalm 56 or a different psalm for inspiration, or you can even take lines or phrases from those psalms and adapt it to your own situation.

It doesn’t have to be poetry. You can simply write your own prayer to God in a psalm-like form.

But do try to incorporate some of the key elements of David’s psalms that I mentioned earlier.

Just let go and give it a try. There is no standard to meet.

After I had a go at writing my own psalm at my small group, I noticed that several times in the week or so afterwards, when I felt some strong emotions or felt overwhelmed in a situation, I would turn it into a psalm-like prayer.

I really felt such a release from being honest with God, but also bringing it all into the perspective of my God who is with me and for me.

I found that the practice of remembering who God is and making a choice to trust Him and praise Him, even when I didn’t feel like it, was really powerful, as it shifted my heart out of fear and into faith, out of isolation and back into connection.

So if you have a few moments spare this week, give it a try.

It’s an invitation into honesty and openness with God in every situation, because He wants to walk with you and know you in every moment, just like He did with David.