“Always be filled with joy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be filled with joy. Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon.Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:4-7 ERV

Facts about worry

• Worry strangles your mind, joy, and peace

• Worry makes us selfish

• Worry and gratitude cannot co-exist

“Jesus said to his followers, “So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat or what you will wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in houses or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than crows. None of you can add any time to your life by worrying about it. And if you can’t do the little things, why worry about the big things? “Think about how the wildflowers grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? That’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small! “So don’t always think about what you will eat or what you will drink. Don’t worry about it. That’s what all those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. But your Father knows that you need these things. What you should be thinking about is God’s kingdom. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” Luke 12:22-31 ERV

How does gratitude overcome worry?

• Gratitude assumes God will provide (Luke 12:22-24, 27-30)
• Gratitude reminds us that worry is a waste of time (Luke 12:25-26)

• Gratitude teaches us to live day by day (Matthew 5:11)

• Gratitude tells us to trust God’s promises

“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT

• Gratitude keeps our priorities straight (Luke 12:31)

How do I let God and gratitude shape my heart so that I will not worry as much?

• I will set my heart and mind on the Lord daily

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.” Psalm 16:7-9 NIV

• I will think upon the right things

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9 NIV

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Revealing the Father’s Heart: A Prayer Guide

WEEK 1:

Nov 3: Monday:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

1️⃣ Identity

When my cupboard is full, it’s easy to sing praise; but when my wallet is thin, the aisles lose their comfort.

I start counting the jars, the cans, the bags, and wonder if it will last.

Then I hear Your voice: “My child, come to the table. I am preparing a feast. I have everything you need.”

From the wilderness to the pantry, the miracle was never the food— it was Your faithfulness.

So yes, Lord— I will be faithful.

2️⃣ Reflection

Jesus, I confess— I worry You won’t come through.

I’ve stood before empty cupboards, held the last scoop of flour, the final drop of oil, and felt the despair in my soul.

Like the widow of Zarephath, I measure small portions and fear they will fail.

Still, You whisper, “Trust Me.”

As a child coming home from school, often there was dinner on the stove and a cookie jar screaming my name; I was always asked to wait.

And each day, the question insisted, “Do I take, or do I obey?”

Lord, that cookie jar is still tempting, and my stomach is still growling.

Like Adam and Eve, I face the choice— to take what looks good or obey my Father and wait.

So yes, Lord, I will be patient.

3️⃣ Formation

Father, waiting is the classroom where You teach trust.

You don’t rush me; You invite me.

You show me that love and control can’t coexist— only one can lead.

When fear says, “What if He doesn’t come through?” You remind me of every time You already have.

You are the same God who sent manna in the desert and flour to the widow’s jar.

You are not stingy— You are steady.

Form my heart to see delay as devotion, not distance. Form my reflex

to rest before I react. Form my faith to believe You are always good— even when I can’t see how.

So yes, Lord, I will be still.

4️⃣ Exaltation

I praise You as the God who never lets the jar run dry.

From the first garden to my own kitchen, You called me to trust the Giver more than the gift.

You are my portion, my daily bread, my endless supply.

All creation depends on You, and still You delight to feed me.

Anyone can say, “God provides.” Gratitude proves we believe it.

To thank God before the miracle is faith in action— the truest form of praise.

So yes, Lord, I will praise You, forever and ever. Amen.

Nov 4: Tuesday:

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26 (NIV)

1️⃣ Identity

Father, I remember the day we found out we were expecting.

I imagined eyes—maybe blue, maybe brown. A heartbeat beneath my own. Love arrived before the baby did.

My thoughts turned to You, Lord. We’re made in Your image—each one of us. Including me.

You formed me with Your own hands and called me very good— the crown of creation.

You know every hair on my head, every heartbeat, every freckle and every dimple.

You shaped me on purpose; no one else is quite like me.

I may look imperfect by the world’s standards, but I am perfectly Yours.

You love me as I am, as I was, and as I will be.

2️⃣ Reflection

Lord, You know me too well to hide.

I say my differences are beautiful— yet You see me linger too long in the mirror, step off the scale disappointed, and change my outfit again and again.

Why do I call myself Your masterpiece and still wish You’d painted me differently?

If I were a little taller, or thinner, a little stronger, or smarter— would I really be better off?

Like Israel grumbling in the wilderness, I forget the miracle of being chosen.

You never asked me to earn beauty or worth— You declared it over me.

And yet, I still forget.

Teach me to see what You see when You look at me— Your child, already enough.

Help me confess what lurks beneath comparison: a hunger to be seen.

Feed that hunger with truth. Quiet the voice that calls me “less,” and let me hear the one that calls me “Mine.”

3️⃣ Formation

Father, when I look at my children, I understand Your sacrifice.

From the first heartbeat, the first cry— love was already there. You were already there.

You loved me first— and that’s how I learned to love at all.

I love them as You love me, although Your love reaches farther than mine ever could.

Who am I to question the goodness of Your creation when I look in the mirror, in the cupboard, or in my heart?

Help me remember, Lord— You made Your children intentionally. In Your image. Fully known, and fully loved by You.

4️⃣ Exaltation

Jesus, lift my eyes to see the beauty in all You’ve made.

Your image lives in everyone I meet— the beggar, the neighbor, the child.

You carried the cross to prove, once and for all, that we are worth everything to You.

Your command remains the same: to love each other as You have loved us.

All creation depends on You,

and still You delight in feeding me.

Since I am Your beloved child,

teach me

to assume Your goodness,

to trust

that provision is already secured

because of Your love.

Silence me questioning Your goodness.

Remind me

I am far more than cared for,

I am cherished.

Let my life be a living thank You,

an offering into Your hands.

Use me

for Your kingdom’s glory,

Lord, I give my life to You.

I was, am, and always will be, Yours.

Amen.

Nov 5: Wednesday:

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:27 (NIV)

1️⃣ Identity

Father, You know the value of time.

You are the beginning and the end— the Alpha and the Omega. All of history hangs on Your timeline. We mark our calendars by the moment You entered our world.

You created time not to control me, but to teach me to remember Your grace, live in Your mercy, and rest in Your faithfulness.

You are good, Lord. You remind me there’s enough time to do everything You’ve called me to do.

Your yoke is easy; Your burden light.

I don’t need to worry for a single moment, because You are not bound by time. Time belongs to You.

2️⃣ Reflection

Lord, I admit— I often treat time like it belongs to me.

I hurry, I worry, and I fill every hour with noise. Then I collapse, wondering where the day went.

You tell me not to waste energy on what I can’t control— but I still do.

I still plan and prepare, pursue and perform, when all You’re asking me to do is praise.

I remember the story of Martha and Mary— two sisters, one serving, one sitting.

Martha bustled around the house, anxious to prepare the meal; Mary simply sat at Your feet, listening.

I feel Martha’s hurry in my own heart, Lord— the constant motion, the need to manage.

But I long for Mary’s peace, that quiet trust that chooses presence over perfection.

And when You whisper, “Tomorrow will worry about itself,” I want to believe it deep in my bones.

3️⃣ Formation

Father, help me treat time not as a threat, but as a teacher.

Through each sunrise and sunset, You’re teaching me the rhythm of trust— how to work from rest, not for it.

Form me to pause long enough to hear Your heartbeat in my schedule. To let prayer interrupt productivity. To remember that eternity isn’t waiting— it’s already begun in You.

Slow my striving, Lord, until peace becomes my natural pace. Let the hours I surrender become the hours most alive.

4️⃣ Exaltation

You are the God who holds every hour in Your hands.

The moments, the seasons, the centuries— they all belong to You.

You waste nothing, and You rush nothing. You weave every moment into a beautiful tapestry of love.

Thank You, Lord, for Your grace— for the times I forget that You are my God, my Provider.

You don’t scold me, Lord; You guide me to trust.

You’re a Father who lets me learn what love looks like in real time.

Amen.

Nov 6: Thursday

“ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Matthew 6:30 (NIV)

1️⃣ Identity

Lord, I wish trust came easily for me.

You stretch out Your hand, and I hesitate.

Like someone hanging from a cliff, I weigh the risk— what if I let go and You don’t catch me?

I know the cliff isn’t safety, but it feels solid. I know Your hand is love, but it feels uncertain.

You call me daughter, but I still reach for control— to make sure there’s enough, to prove I belong.

2️⃣ Reflection

I remember what shaped that fear.

“Don’t wake Dad, don’t bother Dad,” we’d whisper after his long days at two jobs.

Somewhere along the way, that whisper became theology— You were busy with bigger things.

So I learned self-sufficiency dressed as strength.

I prayed polite prayers that didn’t require You to show up. When bills stacked

or dreams fell apart, I told myself, “Handle it. God helps those who help themselves.”

But lilies don’t live that way. And birds don’t budget anxiety.

They trust— and they thrive.

You’ve proven Yourself faithful again and again, yet I still flinch when storms roll in.

Why is it easier to believe You’ll feed the sparrow than to believe You’ll feed me?

3️⃣ Formation

Father, teach me to live inside Your promise: seek first Your kingdom, and let You handle the rest.

When fear tightens its grip, remind me that faith isn’t a feeling— it’s resting in the knowledge of a God who is infinitely good.

When I doubt Your attention, point to the lilies and the trees. When I fear being forgotten, point to the cross.

When I start spinning, still me long enough to hear Your voice again.

You turn everything toward good. You hold the timeline I can’t see.

Shape my heart until trust becomes the rhythm of my breathing— unt

4️⃣ Exaltation

Thank You, Father.

You are not a distant Provider; You are near.

You dress the world in wonder and cover me with grace.

Every petal preaches Your faithfulness; every heartbeat proves Your care.

So I praise You— not because I never worry, but because even in my worry, You remain.

You are patient with my small faith, present in my slow progress, and proud to call me Yours.

I will open my hands, Lord, and reach for Yours.

And when I cannot trust You perfectly yet, I will trust that You are still holding me.

Amen.

Nov 7: Friday

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

1️⃣ Identity

Father, You are the keeper of this house and the giver of every dawn.

You call each day good before I ever step into it.

You invite me to gather what You’ve provided— not to hoard what hasn’t yet come.

You hold tomorrow like a folded blanket, ready when it’s needed— but tonight, You cover me with peace.

You promise strength for today, not storage for tomorrow.

2️⃣ Reflection

Lord, I admit, I run ahead of You.

I plan the week, the month, and the what-if scenarios.

I replay conversations and pre-live crises that may never happen.

It feels productive— but it’s just laundry that never needed washing.

You show me how worry steals from the present. It rewashes what’s already clean and leaves me tired before the day even begins.

I want to live like the Proverbs 31 woman, who laughs at the days to come— not because she’s naïve, but because she knows her household rests in Your hands.

Forgive me, Father, for wasting today’s grace on tomorrow’s guesses.

3️⃣ Formation

Teach me the rhythm of Your house, Lord— one basket, one day, one breath at a time.

Let me sort what truly belongs to today and leave the rest in Your keeping.

When my thoughts crowd the hallway, quiet them with Your voice:

“This day is Mine. This child is Mine. This moment is enough.”

Form in me a heart that trusts You with the unknown, that works faithfully with what’s in front of me, and that believes You’ll still be good when the sun rises again.

Help me open this day with gratitude and lay it gently in Your hands.

4️⃣ Exaltation

You are faithful in the morning and kind at night.

You rule the hours with wisdom and fill them with mercy.

Tomorrow will bring its own work— but You will be there first.

So I praise You for the peace that ends a long week— for the roof of Your presence, the warmth of Your love, and the steady rhythm of Your care.

I can rest because You don’t.

I will stop running ahead and sit with You here, today.

Amen