RAP SHEET 12/28/25

REVIEW

This week, we closed out 2025 by doing what the people of God have always done—coming before Him in prayer. Instead of a traditional sermon, we moved through four movements found throughout the Psalms: Praise, Lament, Trust, and Hope.

We were reminded that the Psalms are not polished or filtered; they are full of real emotion, real struggle, and real faith. They give voice to the entire human experience—joy and pain, certainty and confusion, gratitude and grief—and they teach us how to bring all of it honestly before God.

We began with Praise, looking at Psalm 103. We remembered that praise is not a feeling—it is a decision. Before we ask God for anything, we remind our souls of who He is: faithful, forgiving, healing, redeeming, and full of compassion. Praise reframes our perspective and centers us on His character rather than our circumstances.

We then moved into Lament through Psalm 13. Scripture gave us permission to bring our deepest pain directly to God. Lament is not a lack of faith; it is faith refusing to go silent. Like David—and even like Jesus on the cross—we learned that God can handle our honest questions and sorrow. Lament turns pain into prayer and opens our hearts to God’s comfort.

Next, we reflected on Trust through Psalm 23. Trust does not mean pretending the valley isn’t real. It means believing the Shepherd is leading us through it. David could say, “I lack nothing,” not because life was easy, but because God was with him. Trust is the act of releasing what we cannot control and resting in the sufficiency of our Shepherd.

Finally, we ended with Hope through Psalm 27. Hope is not wishful thinking. It is confidence rooted in God’s promises and fulfilled in Jesus. Hope declares that the story is not over, that God is still working, and that His goodness will be seen “in the land of the living.” Our hope is steady because it rests in a faithful Savior who will not fail.

As we enter a new year, these four movements—Praise, Lament, Trust, and Hope—give us a pattern for prayer and a posture for our lives.

APPLY

Take time to reflect on your experience in the service:

• In Praise — What is one way you saw God’s faithfulness in 2025?

• In Lament — What pain or burden did you bring before God that you’ve been carrying alone?

• In Trust — What area of your life is God inviting you to release into His care?

• In Hope — Where do you sense God calling you to wait with courage in the year ahead?

What is ONE WAY you will intentionally make space to meet with God in prayer as you enter 2026?

PRAY

Use these prompts to guide your time with God this week:

• Take a moment to thank God for the specific ways He sustained you this past year.

• Bring your deepest burdens honestly to Him—name them and place them in His hands.

• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you trust the Shepherd’s leading, even in the valleys.

• Pray for renewed hope rooted in Jesus as you step into a new year.