How to Pray When You’re Suffering | A Reflection on Psalm 6

There are seasons when prayer feels natural — and then there are seasons, especially during hard times, when prayer feels almost impossible. When life hits the hardest, the real question isn’t whether we believe in prayer. It’s whether we will keep praying when nothing seems to change. 

Psalm 6 is one of David’s penitential psalms: a prayer of lament written during a season of intense suffering. In this prayer, we see David not as a conquering king, but as a broken man overwhelmed by spiritual anguish. His bones are in agony. His soul is troubled. He floods his bed with tears. 

These are the words that describe someone in deep distress. 

Spiritual anguish is that soul-level suffering many Christians experience in dark seasons — sometimes because of personal sin, sometimes because of grief, loss, betrayal, illness, or uncertainty. Either way, it can make God feel distant. 

And that distance tempts us to stop praying. 

But through this Psalm, David shows us a different response to suffering: not avoidance, but honest prayer.  

Honest prayer doesn’t offend God — it honors Him. 

It acknowledges that He is strong enough to handle our grief and questions. It declares that we believe He is listening. It reveals that we trust Him enough to be vulnerable.  

You don’t need to get your act together before you come to God. You need to come honestly. Not because prayer always changes our circumstances, but because it always changes us. 

Prayer during suffering drives us toward God instead of away from Him. 
It reveals how deeply we depend on Him. 
It produces humility — a broken and contrite heart He never despises. 
It deepens our faith until trust becomes steadier than our feelings. 

What’s remarkable in Psalm 6 is that David declares, “The Lord has heard my plea,” before anything around him changes. The enemies are still there. The situation hasn’t been resolved. But David is different. 

Prayer reshaped him before it reshaped his circumstances. 

If you are walking through a season of hardship and wondering how to pray when God feels distant, start here: 

Start where you are. 
Say what you actually feel. 
Ask for what you need. 
And remember Who you’re talking to. 

The God who did not turn away from David will not turn away from you. He does not despise crushed spirits. He welcomes them. 

If you’re searching for hope in hard times, Psalm 6 is a reminder to not let suffering silence your prayers.