January 05, 2026

Rhythms: Prayer

34 minutes

In the second week of our annual Rhythms series, we focus on prayer—not just as something Christians should do, but as a repeated practice that forms us into people who actually trust God. In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray by re-centering on God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will. In this week’s message we walked through the ACTS framework—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication—showing how prayer becomes both a family practice (kids included!) and a window into what we truly rely on when life gets hard.

We examined why prayer often feels difficult, how a “small view of God” shrinks our prayer lives, and why the gospel gives us confidence to draw near: Jesus is our High Priest, and God invites His people to approach the throne of grace for mercy and help.

Message Highlights:

Main Point: Our prayer life reveals who, or what we actually trust.

Rhythms are repeated practices meant to become “normal” over time - we aren’t aiming for Sunday-only religion, but a lifestyle of communion with God through the week.

Prayer feels hard for many Christians—so the question becomes “why?” - Some don’t pray at all; many feel they “should pray more.” The disciples’ question—“Lord, teach us to pray”—gives us a pathway forward.

Jesus teaches prayer as God-centered before it becomes need-centered - “Hallowed be Your name… Your kingdom come…” reorders our hearts before we ask for anything.

ACTS provides a helpful structure without becoming a law - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication offer training wheels for a healthier prayer life.

Adoration re-centers our hearts on who God is - God is worthy of worship regardless of circumstances; prayer begins by turning attention from self to God.(Psalm 33:6-11, Psalm 145:1-7, Isaiah 6:1-5, Psalm 103:1-5, Romans 11:33-36)

Confession flows naturally from adoration - Seeing God’s holiness exposes our lack—and confession isn’t to earn belonging, but because we belong to Christ.(1 John 1:5-10, Psalm 51:1-12, Psalm 32:3-5, Daniel 9:4-9, Ezra 9:6-7)

Thanksgiving fights entitlement and anxiety - Everything we have—physically and spiritually—is a gift. Gratitude reminds us we are stewards, not owners.(Exodus 4:11-12, Ephesians 1:3-6, Colossians 1:15-23, 1 Chronicles 16:8-12, Psalm 107:1-2, Psalm 136:1-3, Colossians 3:15-17)

Supplication is welcomed, but best flowing from a rightly ordered prayer - We ask boldly because Jesus sympathizes with our weakness and invites us to the throne of grace.(Psalm 86:1-7, Matthew 7:7-11, Ephesians 3:14-19, Philippians 4:4-7)

Your prayer life reveals what you actually trust - Where we run when stressed—calendar, substances, control, comfort—exposes functional trust more than stated beliefs.

Practical application:

Use ACTS as a weekly “reset” (especially when prayer feels scattered) - Even 5–10 minutes can be structured:

Invite kids into prayer as participants, not spectators - Let them pray simply, out loud. This disciples them by practice, not theory.

Watch what you run to first when stress hits - Use that moment as a diagnostic: What am I trusting right now? Then redirect: talk to God.

Strengthen your view of God to strengthen your prayer life - Two fuel sources emphasized in the sermon:

Pray like Hebrews 4 is true - Approach God with confidence—not because you’re strong, but because Jesus is your High Priest and grace is available in the time of need.

Resources Currently Available at the Veritas Church Bookstore:

Praying the Bible

A Praying Life

A Simple Way to Pray

Prayer

Praying like Monks, Living Like Fools

Inductive Bible Study

How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth

Reading the Bible Better

Do you have a question you want us to address? Submit it now!

...more

View all episodes

By Veritas Church, Cedar Rapids, IA

4.7

1010 ratings