Recently, I was on a girls trip in Myrtle Beach and stopped by the Bible Outlet bookstore. If you’ve ever been there, you know it’s easy to lose track of time. I left with a stack of books I was excited to read and, of course, spent some time browsing all the mugs, signs, and home decor covered in Bible verses.
As I looked around, I noticed a pattern.
The mugs all had the verses you’d expect:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart…” (Proverbs 3:5)
“For I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“She is clothed with strength and dignity…” (Proverbs 31:25)
They’re beautiful verses. Encouraging verses. The kinds of words you want to see while drinking your morning coffee.
But standing there, I started thinking about all the Bible verses that don’t make it onto coffee mugs.
What About the Hard Bible Verses?
What about the Bible verses that feel uncomfortable? The ones that sound more like a cry for help than an inspirational quote. The prayers of desperation. The questions. The moments when people in Scripture felt anxious, overwhelmed, confused, or forgotten.
You probably won’t find a mug with David’s words from Psalm 13:
“How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day?” (Psalm 13:1)
This isn’t a victorious declaration. It’s a desperate question.
David felt forgotten. He felt abandoned. He was overwhelmed by anxiety and grief. He couldn’t see what God was doing, and he wasn’t afraid to say so.
And honestly, that’s part of why I love the Bible. It doesn’t just give us verses for the good days. It gives us words for the hard days, too.
Faith Does Not Mean Pretending
Sometimes we assume that strong faith means never struggling with fear, doubt, or anxiety. But David, a man after God’s own heart, brought those feelings directly to God.
He didn’t hide them.
He didn’t pretend everything was fine.
He poured out his heart honestly.
And that’s exactly what God invites us to do.
David’s Pain Was Not the End of the Psalm
The beautiful thing about Psalm 13 is that it doesn’t end in despair.
After expressing his pain, David remembers God’s faithfulness:
“But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because he has treated me generously.” (Psalm 13:4-5)
Notice David’s language.
“I will rejoice.”
“I will sing.”
His circumstances hadn’t necessarily changed yet. But his focus had.
Instead of allowing his feelings to direct him, he chose to direct his thoughts toward God’s character and faithfulness.
That doesn’t mean he ignored his pain. It means he refused to let his pain have the final word.
What We Focus on Matters
Isaiah 26:3 reminds us:
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
What we focus on shapes how we experience life.
If we focus only on what’s wrong, we’ll become consumed by fear and discouragement. But when we intentionally focus on God’s goodness, His promises, and His faithfulness, we find peace even in difficult seasons.
When Faith Starts to Feel Like a Checklist
As someone who struggles with OCD, Psalm 13 hits close to home.
There are days when my mind feels loud and exhausting. I can get stuck in cycles of overthinking, questioning, and trying to figure everything out. Sometimes that even spills into my faith. Instead of simply resting in God’s love, I find myself feeling like I need to do more, pray more, read more, have more faith, be more consistent. It’s easy to turn my relationship with God into a checklist.
And the truth is, that’s exhausting.
There have been seasons when I’ve checked all the boxes and still felt distant from God. Seasons when it felt hard to hear Him. Seasons when I wondered why He seemed silent when I was trying so hard to seek Him.
That’s why I’m grateful the Bible includes passages like Psalm 13.
David wasn’t writing from a mountaintop moment. He was hurting. He felt forgotten. He asked hard questions. Reading his words reminds me that God isn’t asking us to show up with perfect faith and perfect emotions. He invites us to come honestly.
Feelings Are Real, But They Are Not Always Reliable
I’ve had to learn that feeling far from God doesn’t mean He is far from me. My feelings are real, but they aren’t always reliable. There are days when my emotions tell me God is distant, disappointed, or silent. But His Word tells a different story. His Word tells me He is near, faithful, and present, even when I don’t feel it.
Some days, trusting that truth is a choice. It’s choosing to believe that God is still good, still working, and still holding me, even when my feelings are trying to convince me otherwise.
Being honest with God about our emotions is healthy. He already knows what we’re feeling anyway.
But it’s also important to remember that our feelings are not facts.
Feelings are real, but they don’t always tell us the truth.
You may feel forgotten, but God has not forgotten you.
You may feel abandoned, but God has not abandoned you.
You may feel hopeless, but God is still working.
Even when we can’t see it.
Even when we don’t understand it.
Even when life feels hard.
God Is Still Working
Romans 8:28 reminds us that God is working all things together for good for those who love Him. That doesn’t mean everything that happens is good. It means God is able to bring good out of even the most difficult circumstances.
So if you’re carrying anxious thoughts today, take a lesson from David.
Bring them to God.
Ask the hard questions.
Be honest about your struggles.
And then remember who God is.
RELATED: When Life Doesn’t Make Sense: Where to Take Your Big Questions
Bring the Unspoken Things to God
The Bible verses we don’t put on coffee mugs are important too. They remind us that faith isn’t pretending life is easy. Faith is bringing our deepest hurts to God and choosing to trust Him anyway.
If you’re in a Psalm 13 season today, don’t hide from God. Bring Him your questions. Bring Him your fears. Bring Him the thoughts you’re embarrassed to say out loud. He can handle them. Then, like David, take a moment to remember how God has been faithful before. The same God who carried you then is carrying you now.
