In Psalm 143 we see real struggles from a real man of God. David reveals his intense struggles within himself, with his enemy, and yes, even with his God. Who of us has not cried out to God with such despair and urgency? In Psalm 143:1 David says, “Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness!” When we pray, we are to approach God on His terms: His faithfulness and His righteousness. David’s first request was asking God to simply hear him.

Approaching God on His terms was a concept I needed to be reminded of. You would think I would know this. When I’m right in the thick of a difficult trial, I don’t always think clearly; my emotions take off and run the show. I remember times of great difficulty, when in desperation I found myself walking around my around coffee table wringing my hands. Panic and frustrations don’t prove to be good companions during pain and suffering. Approaching God on His terms in the midst of a trial is a better way. When facing difficult circumstances and trials I also tend to complain and worry. This is approaching God on my terms and my strength instead of His.

So what does it look like to approach God on His terms? First, I need to honestly tell God how I feel. He already knows, but voicing my fears and deep needs makes it a personal cry to a personal God. Who of us has not shot up arrow prayers of “Help me now, Lord!”?  We can’t get beyond that because we are overwhelmed and appalled like David was. Those help-me-now prayers have flown from my lips on many occasions.

The next thing is to turn from my self-focus to God-focus. This means I am to focus on God’s attributes, His characteristics, His promises. David has a turning point in verses 5-6. He remembers, meditates and muses on the days of old, on God’s works, and the works of His hands. That gentle shift from deep despair to absolute assurance of His love is to gaze wonderingly upon his Lord. Having an arsenal of Scriptures at your ready will help with that gentle shift from the trial to God.

This psalm can become a useful prayer for us. We have times in our lives when we are on cruise control. We are flying smoothly along, no bumps or sudden dips. We all know what it’s like when on a flight the plane suddenly loses altitude or shakes. Fear rises, our hearts are pounding, we sink our fingernails into the stranger’s arm next to us. We pray fervently for the pilot! (Okay, I’m describing me.) Life can also take a sudden dip—when we or a loved one gets a bad diagnosis, or there’s a crisis in a marriage or family, or the sudden death of a loved one. There are numerous painful trials we endure throughout our life.

What I need to do is sink my runaway emotions into the living God. Here are seven practical prayers to help even out the sudden bumps and dips of trials:

Pray for urgent answers.

Pray for God’s favor in this life.

Pray for a fresh experience of God's loyal love to you.

Pray for guidance and growth.

Pray for deliverance from evil.

Pray to faithfully live out God’s will.

Pray for God’s Spirit to continually lead you in holy living.

This beautiful psalm of David can be for us a personal prayer as well. He was down but not out. We identify with his fears, pain, uncertainties, and struggles. His honest questions and pleas mirror our own. Whatever is shaking the ground upon which you stand can be steadied by stretching your hands out to a living, compassionate and timeless God, who feels our pain and surrounds us with His love.