How Psalm 55 Can Help Us In Our Deepest Hurt And Betrayal
Psalm 55
Psalm 55 is the place I often go in Scripture when I feel like I have been wronged or betrayed. There is comfort in knowing that someone like David—a man after God’s own heart—went through something as painful.
You can feel the agony of his soul through the words he used to describe his experience:
restless in my complaint
moan noisily
oppression of the wicked
they bring down trouble upon me
in wrath they hate me
my heart is severely pained
terrors of death have fallen upon me
fearfulness and trembling have come upon me
horror has overwhelmed me
David even wished he had wings so he could fly away and escape the situation and finally be at rest.
In Psalm 55:9, his prayer of lament shifted to acknowledge those against him—people who had set their minds and actions on trouble, violence, strife, and destruction wherever they went and at all times. Then in verse 12 he revealed something even more painful. The enemy working against him is someone he once trusted and did life with.
His enemy is:
not an enemy who reproaches me
not one who hates me
my equal
my companion
my acquaintance
“We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng.” (Psalm 55:14)
That may be the hardest part.
Being hurt by someone we love and trust is painful, but the wound often cuts deeper when the person who hurts us is someone we believed knew and loved God too. Because of their identity as God’s child, we subconsciously hold them to a standard that resembles God’s character. We expect them not to have the capacity to hurt or betray us.
The Capacity for Betrayal
But the reality is that every one of us still carries the capacity to hurt and betray. How many times have I said, regarding a betrayal, “I would have never done that to them”? — Is that really true?
I’m not sure. Even though I know, love, and am utterly committed to Jesus, I still live in flesh that is waiting to be fully redeemed. I still carry the capacity to hurt someone else. Yet still I pray that I won’t. All that said, when I am the one who has been hurt and betrayed, I love the raw, honest prayer David prayed in Psalm 55.
In the middle of his torment and heartbreak, David prayed:
“Let death seize them;
Let them go down alive into hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.”
Psalm 55:15 (NKJV)
That was a man after God’s own heart praying what sounds like a very merciless prayer. You might wonder why I love this verse so much. I love it because I’ve felt it. I’ve experienced heartbreaking betrayal. I’ve prayed merciless prayers and longed for God’s vindication—which, if I’m honest, would have most pleased me if it came through their public humiliation and my elevation.
There are so many incredible things about Psalm 55.
Deep Hurt Comes to All
If we live long enough, we will experience the kind of agony David felt. And if we are part of a church community long enough, we will likely be hurt by people who love Jesus too. Psalm 55 reminds us that the man God Himself described as “a man after My own heart” faced the same kind of pain. And there is something strengthening about that.
This psalm also shows us that we can be real, open, and honest with God—even about the things we think we shouldn’t feel. God can handle our brokenness, our pain, our anger, our mercilessness, and even our self-righteousness. Learning to bring our hearts honestly before God is a key part of spiritual growth and something I explore more deeply in my Bible study My Maker & Me: A Six-Week Bible Study of Becoming God’s Beautiful Vessel.
We can bring it all to Him—the good, the bad, and the ugly. As we do, it’s His job to transform us. Which is exactly what we see happening in David’s prayer. In verse 16, David’s tone and focus shift.
“As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.”
Psalm 55:16
David committed to continual prayer and had a confident expectation that God heard him and would make right the wrong. Later he wrote:
“Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 55:22
It is almost as if David paused and spoke directly to those who would one day find themselves reading his words while walking through similar pain.
God’s Comfort in the Agony of Betrayal
David had experienced betrayal and could describe the agony of it clearly. But he had also experienced God’s comfort and sustaining strength in the middle of those agonizing seasons.
As I thought about the words, “He shall never permit the righteous to be moved,” I wondered why some people experience hurt and betrayal within the church and seem to be moved. They leave the church and never return. They take the wrong committed by someone who claims Christ and place it on God Himself. They reject God and His people because of a painful experience.
That is the opposite of what David did. David clung to God. He called on God and held an expectation that God would right the wrong and carry him through the agony.
The Psalms repeatedly show David’s trust in God and his commitment to the Lord in every season—especially the painful ones. He understood that God was actively working on his behalf. You can see that confidence again and again.
Bible Verses to Strengthen Us in Hurt or Betrayal
“In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Psalm 56:11
“I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me.”
Psalm 57:2
“Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely He is God who judges in the earth.”
Psalm 58:11
“To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy.”
Psalm 59:17
“Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.”
Psalm 60:11–12
“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
Psalm 61:2
“Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.”
Psalm 62:1–2
The need for God’s deliverance from his enemies is an ongoing theme throughout this entire section of Psalms, beginning in Psalm 52 and continuing through Psalm 64. David prayed about the same struggle again and again throughout these Psalms. He expressed his prayers in different ways, but they consistently reveal his trust in God and his dependence on Him.
This wasn’t a “pray about it once and move on” situation.
David showed us something different—a relentless desperation for God’s intervention combined with unwavering trust that God would come through.
Eventually David declares:
“The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.”
Psalm 64:10
If you have been hurt or betrayed, I am so sorry.
Betrayal is agonizing. But you are not alone in your suffering. A man after God’s own heart experienced it. Our Savior Himself experienced it. And in every season of suffering, we have a trustworthy God who will carry us through and one day make right every wrong.
Until that day, let the truths of Psalm 55 and these Scriptures strengthen you when you walk through painful seasons.
✨ Free Resource:
11 Bible Verses to Meditate on and Pray When You Feel Alone, Unheard, or Unseen
Here is a prayer for you based on these truths.
Precious Heavenly Daddy,
You are my God. I will call upon You and cast my burden on You, and You will save, sustain, and steady me unmoved in Your righteousness. I put my trust in You, rejecting fear because You perform all things for me. You are my God of mercy who rewards and defends me. You help me and tread down my enemies. And when my heart is overwhelmed, You lead me to the rock that is higher than I. I wait for You because You are my rock. I will be glad and glory in You, the One in whom I trust, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
