Many people have asked me this same question over the years, often quietly, as if they were really asking something about themselves. Why so many psalms? Why so many words, tears, praises, and cries? It’s a question that touches the heart of prayer itself. When we look at David, we are not just studying a figure from the past—we are meeting a soul that dared to speak honestly with God.
David’s life was anything but simple. He was a shepherd, a warrior, a king, a sinner, a repentant man, a poet, and a father who knew both great joy and deep sorrow. The psalms rose naturally from this full human experience. When David rejoiced, he sang. When he feared, he prayed. When he failed, he wept before God. Writing psalms was not a literary project—it was how David stayed alive spiritually. Each psalm became a conversation, a place where nothing was hidden and everything was entrusted to the Lord.
In the Book of Psalms, we find David giving voice to emotions many of us struggle to put into words. He teaches us that prayer does not need to be polished or perfect. It needs to be true. The Church has always understood this, which is why the psalms are prayed daily in Christian worship. They remind us that God welcomes not only our praise, but also our confusion, anger, and longing. David wrote so many psalms because life kept giving him reasons to return to God—again and again.
What this means for us is deeply comforting. You don’t have to limit your prayer to a few memorized lines. Like David, you can speak to God in every season of your life. When you feel strong, sing your gratitude. When you feel broken, let your heart cry out. The psalms assure us that God listens—not because our words are beautiful, but because our hearts are real.
A Closing Reflection
May David’s psalms remind us that prayer is not about saying the right things, but about trusting God with everything we are. When words rise from love and honesty, they always find their way to heaven.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
