Hard Questions: Say the Quiet Parts Out Loud

This is Part 6 of a 10-part series exploring questions in Scripture and what they reveal about building resilient relationships with God and others.

Is it okay to question God? If the questions in the Psalms are any indication, the answer is yes. David asked. Asaph asked. Even Moses and the sons of Korah asked, and their questions didn’t drive them away from God. They drew them closer.

If you’re just joining us, here’s where we’ve been: we counted the question marks in Scripture (Part 1), learned to read the Bible with a questioning heart (Part 2), listened in on the first questions in the garden (Part 3), saw how stones of remembrance spark questions (Part 4), and heard God ask Elijah the same question twice (Part 5). This time, we explore the questions in the Psalms, where David and others say the quiet parts out loud

When Your Tank Is Empty: The Hero Routine

In my teens and twenties, I spent a lot of time on the road, packing my suitcase, hauling gear, and schlepping across the country to help lead spiritual growth and training conferences. Every trip was full of purpose and people and prayer and late nights, and when I finally came home, I always carried two things: a full heart and an empty tank.

My suitcase was stuffed with dirty laundry, wrinkled name tags, and a half-squished toothpaste tube. (For whatever reason, I used my toothpaste tube as an indicator for my life balance. When the tube was empty, it was time to come home and recharge. We all have our metrics, y’all.)

My eyes were tired, but my soul was glowing with gratitude for what God had done. Still, let’s be honest: I was wiped out.

That’s when a mentor’s wise advice would echo in my ears:

“Sleep until you get hungry, then eat until you get sleepy. Repeat until you feel human again.”

That advice was simple, grounded, and brilliant. And it worked. After about three cycles of that simple prescription, life came back into focus. I started feeling human again, awake, grounded, and ready to listen for what God might say next.

How the Psalms Joined the Rhythm

Over time, though, I added two more pieces to that rhythm. Somewhere along the way, I started taking a slow walk outside while listening to the Psalms, sometimes through earbuds and sometimes just whispering them aloud along the sidewalk. The words of David became my soul’s realignment, the reminder that God welcomes both my praise and my questions.

Now I call this rhythm my Hero Routine. It’s simple, restorative, and incredibly practical:

Sleep. Eat. Stroll. Psalms. Repeat. There’s something healing about letting God’s Word speak over you when your own words have run dry.

There’s also something grounding about walking while the Psalms remind you that others have cried, wondered, rejoiced, and trusted through every possible emotion before you ever did, perhaps even breathing those same words under their breath as they walked through their day.

Try the Hero Routine

So what’s your toothpaste tube telling you right now? If your heart feels heavy or your body is running on empty, try the Hero Routine. I’m serious. It’s not complicated or glamorous, but it’s sacred.

Sleep: Let your body rest. It’s not laziness, it’s stewardship.
Eat: Nourish yourself with what’s good and simple.
Stroll: Step outside. Let your senses wake up to God’s creation.
Psalms: Let His Word do the heart work only it can do.

And then repeat.

When life feels loud, this rhythm whispers peace. When you’re tired of trying to fix or figure out everything, it brings you back to dependence and delight.

What the Questions in the Psalms Remind Us

The many questions in the Psalms remind us that asking can be a holy endeavor. The writers of the Psalms whispered, thundered, and shouted their biggest questions, to God and to their fellow man, and those questions drew them closer to Him.

So don’t be afraid to bring your own hard questions to Him. Take them on a walk. Speak them out loud. Then listen for His gentle voice in response.

The Psalms are a wonderful place to start when your soul feels too tired to pray or too tangled to process. And when you need a tangible way to reset, come back to that Hero Routine: Sleep. Eat. Stroll. Psalms. Repeat.

You’ll be amazed how human you start to feel again, and how near God already was, how near He’s always been.

Questions in the Psalms: David’s Heart Questions

With the Hero Routine in mind, let’s listen in to some of the questions in the Psalms, starting with David’s own heart questions. After all, this person after God’s own heart asked some profound ones. We’ll begin with a psalm many connect with David’s Psalm 9.

From Anguish to Assurance

First, Psalm 10:1:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

It opens with two of the most honest questions in the Psalms in verse 1:

Now listen to how this same psalm lands in verses 17 and 18:

O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Do you see the shift from anguish to assurance, from question to confidence?

The Rock and the Shield

Let’s read another. In Psalm 18:31, David asks:

For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?

And just four verses later, in verse 35, he says:

You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.

Who Is This King of Glory?

And finally, Psalm 24:10:

Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah

David’s heart questions are not theoretical. They’re personal. They come from the battlefield and the cave, from the throne room and the lonely hillside. They’re questions that start in vulnerability and often end in victory, not because the circumstances change, but because David reorients his heart toward God. He acknowledges and verbalizes both his very real emotions and his very real confidence that God is who He says He is.

David is not just asking to understand. He’s asking to behold.

What the Questions in the Psalms Teach Us About Lament

Let’s talk about what David’s heart questions in the Psalms teach us.

Honest, open-ended questions cultivate relationships. David models this with God, and we see his relationship with God deepen as a result.

David doesn’t pretend. He doesn’t filter his emotions before he comes to the Lord. Instead, he brings the whole messy thing to God in question form.

“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?” That’s not polished. That’s personal.

He laments. And here’s why that matters:

Lament is not the opposite of faith. It is an act of faith.

It’s choosing to bring pain to God, instead of pretending it doesn’t exist or taking it somewhere else to self-medicate or distract or cope. It’s believing that God can handle your sorrow, that He won’t shame you for your questions, and that He listens, even when you’re not sure how to talk.

And notice something else: David rarely stops with the question.

The pattern is clear in the Psalms. He brings the raw question, recalls who God is, and reframes his reality in light of God’s character.

Many of the questions in the Psalms follow this pattern. This is what I call Q/A Psalms, question-and-answer Psalms. They’re not formulas. They’re windows into a heart dialoguing with God in real time.

Write Your Own Psalm

Try this: write your own psalm, starting with a real question, such as “Why am I overwhelmed right now?” or “Where is justice in this situation?” or “I feel alone. Am I alone?”

Then remember a truth about God, or find it in the pages of your Bible. Here are three examples:

Why am I overwhelmed right now?
“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?—the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.” (Psalm 18:31-32)
Where is justice in this situation?
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” (Psalm 89:14)
I feel alone. Am I alone?
“You will never leave me nor forsake me.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Then close your own personal psalm time with a commitment or declaration, such as:

“I will trust You, even when I don’t understand.”
“I will trust You to be my strength and my song today.”
“Let Your mercy be my guide today.”

This habit of framing your emotions into question-and-answer moments with God isn’t just for pastors or preachers. It’s for you, friend. It’s for your lunch break, your evening walk, and your drive to the grocery store or the car line.

It creates sacred space where you learn to feel deeply and listen fully. Do the Hero Routine, and let’s say it one more time, friend: Lament is not the opposite of faith. It is an act of faith.

Take One of the Questions in the Psalms for a Walk

So here’s your invitation today: go for a walk, or take a drive, or sit on your porch. I’m not picky.

But wherever you go, pick one of the questions in the Psalms, one that speaks to what you’re feeling right now. Say it out loud. Let it linger in the air.

Maybe it’s one of these:

“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?” (Psalm 10:1)
“For who is God, but the Lord?” (Psalm 18:31)
“Who is this King of glory?” (Psalm 24:10)

Say it like David said it. Don’t perform it. Ask it like you’re genuinely curious, asking your good Father something He delights to answer.

Then listen. Let the Spirit bring truth to your memory. God may speak through His Word, through the quiet, or even through a song or picture that comes to mind. Let the question become a conversation.

Let the question become a conversation.

And if you’re walking with a child or a friend, try this: ask the question together. Then invite each person to share a word or phrase that answers it.

This is how we keep walking with Jesus: one honest question at a time.

Who Is God?

So who is this God David keeps asking about? Here is how David describes Him in Psalm 18:30-36:

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?—the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.

Friend, that is who our God is. And we see it through the questions in the Psalms, through our God-given curiosity, by asking, Who is God?

He is a Rock who equips you with strength and offers to make your way blameless. He gives you a purpose and a calling, inviting you into the adventure of enjoying and following Him. Then there’s the shield of His salvation: He supports you, and His gentleness makes you great.

So go today with confidence, because even your questions are held in His hands.

And hey, before you go, would you share this post with a friend? Maybe someone who’s going through a hard season and needs permission to ask honest questions of God. Because you, friend, are making a difference.

Reflection Questions

If you said one quiet part out loud to God today, what would it be? Write it as a question, then add one truth about who He is.
Which part of the Hero Routine do you need most this week: sleep, food, a stroll, or the Psalms? What would it look like to take one honest question with you on a walk?
Who in your life needs permission to ask God honest questions? How could you invite them to take a walk and ask one together?

Reflect on Scripture

But don’t take my word for it. Take that thought to the Word and the Spirit by reading Psalm 22 for yourself. It opens with two of the most honest questions in the Psalms in verse 1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”
Hanging on a cross, with the entirety of humanity’s sin crushing His sinless body, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, verbalizing an anguished question. Matthew 27:46 records it: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” The Messiah is famously quoting Psalm 22, a Psalm of David. Both David and Jesus took their biggest, most confused, most real questions to God.
Listen for how the writer of Psalm 22 anchors himself in the truth of God’s holiness, goodness, and trustworthy character. Which question in this psalm do you most need to sit with today?

This post is adapted from #76 of the podcast, Presently Engaged with Mandy Pallock. Watch the full episode here if you prefer video.