“I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!” Psalm 116:1-2 NLT

How does gratitude let God answer our prayers?

“When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old. One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary. When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.” Luke 1:5-24 NLT

• Gratitude lets God answer in His own time

“But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.” Luke 1:13 NLT

“Teach me, O God, to use all the circumstances of my life today that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the fruits of sin: Let me use disappointment as material for patience. Let me use success as material for thankfulness. Let me use trouble as material for perseverance. Let me use danger as material for courage. Let me use reproach as material for long suffering. Let me use praise as material for humility. Let me use pleasures for material for temperance. Let me use pain as material for endurance.” John Baillie

• Gratitude lets God answer in His own way

“Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” Luke 1:18 NLT

• Gratitude lets God answer in His own power

“Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.” Luke 1:24 NLT

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 NLT

• Gratitude lets God answer for His own purpose

“And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” Luke 1:16-17 NLT

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Revealing the Father’s Heart:

A Prayer Guide

WEEK 4:  Nov 24 — Gratitude and Prayer

“…that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding the Spirit gives.” — Colossians 1:9

1️⃣ Identity

Father,
I picture You

walking through the first garden

the way I walk through my yard—
checking the soil,

 smiling at what’s growing,

calling everything good.

 You built Your home for family,

not performance.
 You spoke,

and Your children learned Your tone by heart.

That’s what I want—
 to live in rhythm with You,

to recognize Your footsteps

the way a child knows a parent’s voice.

You’re still that Father:

steady,

near,

teaching me how life works

when LOVE

is the rule of the house.

2️⃣ Reflection

Somewhere along the way, God,

I forget how to listen.

 I fill the day with noise—

plans, opinions, alerts—

and call it responsibility.

 But prayer isn’t another task;

it’s walking with You through the yard You planted.

Thank You for showing me

that family

is the language

of heaven.

Every child,

every neighbor,

every argument or meal together
is a lesson in Your will:

learning to love the way You love.

Forgive me Father,

for trying to manage

what You meant for relationship.

3️⃣ Formation

Spirit, help me listen

like a daughter sitting on the porch,
not rushing to fix,

just learning her Father’s way of seeing.

When I talk with my kids,

let Your patience shape my tone.

When I serve my husband or a friend,

remind me I’m practicing Your compassion.

Train me to keep this house like You keep Yours, Father,
grace in the kitchen,

mercy at the door,

peace in every room.
 

Let my home echo Eden—

a place where LOVE teaches more than words ever could.

4️⃣ Exaltation

Father, thank You

for bringing heaven that close,
for making family

the mirror of Your heart.

Your Will isn’t hidden;

it’s right here

in the way we treat each other.

So today I choose to walk with You,
to tend what You’ve entrusted,
 to let Your Spirit fill this ordinary house with holy light.
 

May every conversation sound a little more like Yours.

Amen.

Nov 25 — Living in the Father’s House

“…so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord.” — Colossians 1:10

1️⃣ Identity

Father, You’re the head of the house,

the steady One

who keeps everything running in LOVE.

 When You invite me

to live “worthy of the Lord,”

You’re really saying,

Learn My ways.

Keep the family name honorable.

You’ve shown me what that looks like,

how You correct without crushing,
how You lead with patience, not pride.

Every time I care for someone You’ve trusted to me,
I get a glimpse of how You’ve cared for me.

You teach me

what it means to live under Your roof
by asking me

to offer the same grace

to others

that You keep giving me.

2️⃣ Reflection

I see now how often

I’ve wanted order more than understanding.

I’ve spoken when You would have waited,

pushed when You would have paused.

Yet You stay gentle,

reminding me that relationship comes before rules.

When I’m the one giving direction,
I start to feel how heavy love really is.

 It’s not control; it’s protection.

 It’s Your voice through mine saying, This is the way; walk in it.

 And I hear the reminder: See, child? That’s how I guide you, too.

3️⃣ Formation

Spirit, help me keep this house

like my Father keeps His.

 Let correction carry kindness,

and discipline feel like belonging.

When I teach,

let my tone sound like Yours—

steady, hopeful, true.

Make my home a small picture of Yours:
peace in the hallway,

 mercy at the table,
forgiveness moving through the walls like air.

Train me to respond

the way You would

if You were standing right beside me—
because You are.

4️⃣ Exaltation

Father, thank You for trusting me with pieces of Your heart.

Every person I mentor,

every moment I guide,

is another chance to practice Your kind of love.

You never asked me to earn worth,

only to live as family—
to carry Your name well

and keep the door open for others.

So today I choose

to run Your household ways in mine:
 slow to anger,

quick to grace,

always ready to forgive.
Because that’s what it means to live worthy of You.

 Amen.

Nov 26 — Strength That Stays

“…being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might.” — Colossians 1:11

1️⃣ Identity

Father, You don’t measure strength the way the world does.
You hold steady through storms instead of showing off in them.

You taught me that real power is quiet—
it forgives when it could fight,

listens when it could lead.

I see it now in the way You parent.
You don’t rush to fix; You stay close until I learn.

That’s the kind of strength I want—
the kind that keeps the peace in a house that’s still growing up.

2️⃣ Reflection

Most days, I want control more than courage.
When things get heavy,

I reach for shortcuts instead of prayer.

But You never hurry love.
You let hard seasons stretch me

until I see what You’re shaping.

I’m learning that strength isn’t found in avoiding pain
but in staying kind when pain comes.

You’ve stood beside me

through nights I thought would never end—
teaching me that

endurance looks a lot like compassion.

3️⃣ Formation

Spirit, build that strength in me.

When the day feels long

and tempers run thin,
remind me that gentleness is still power.

Let patience anchor me

deeper than exhaustion can reach.

Help me carry peace into every room I enter,
not the kind that hides conflict,
but the kind that calms it.
 

Teach me to rest before I react,
and to trust that LOVE

will finish what effort can’t.

4️⃣ Exaltation

Father, thank You for proving

that Your might is mercy.

You turned prisons into classrooms

and burdens into blessings.

Every time I hold my tongue or choose grace,
I feel Your strength working through mine.

You’re not just the God who rescues;

You’re the One who remains.

So, I praise You for power that stays.
You are steady, patient, kind,
and I ask that my life show

the same kind of faithfulness.

Amen.

Family Thanksgiving Prayer

(Colossians 1:12 — “Giving joyful thanks to the Father…”)

1️⃣ Identity

Father, You are the reason we have a table at all.
You gave us life, You gave us each other,
and You taught us love by sharing Your Son with us.

Because of You, we belong.

2️⃣ Reflection

Without You, we’d still be strangers—
busy, broken, trying to fill our own plates.

But You brought us close and called us family.

3️⃣ Formation

Teach us to live like people who know that.
 Help us share the good things we have,
 listen when someone needs a friend,
 and say “thank You” before we say anything else.

4️⃣ Exaltation

We’re grateful, Lord.
For this food, this home, these people,
and for Jesus, who made every meal a reminder of Your love.
Bless this table and make our hearts thankful every day.

Amen.

Nov 28 — Thankful for Love

“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13

1️⃣ Identity

Father, You designed love before You designed people.

You’ve always lived in relationship—

Father, Son, and Spirit—

each honoring the other,

each pouring out LOVE instead of power.

When You gave me my husband,

You invited me into that same rhythm—
two people learning to live as one,

inside the harmony of Three.

You are the center that keeps us balanced.
Some things are my job,

some are his,

and some belong only to You.

Together we reflect Your image—

love that serves, leads, listens, and stays.

2️⃣ Reflection

God, I see now how often I try to take over Your part.
I want to fix, to manage,

to protect what only Your Spirit can heal.

I forget that real love looks like Jesus—

washing feet, forgiving friends,
choosing humility when He had every right to rule.

You keep showing me

that love isn’t poetry,

it’s practice.

Love is patient, kind,

honest, enduring;

it rejoices in truth.

And when my husband and I fall short,

You remind us that grace still holds,

that Your love keeps no record of wrongs.

3️⃣ Formation

Spirit, help me know my place in this trio of grace.

Teach me when to lead,

when to follow,

and when to wait.

Let my husband lead with gentleness,
and let me respond with trust, gratitude, and strength of my own.

Remind me that You, Holy Spirit,

are our counselor and translator.

Shape our marriage

into a reflection of Yours:

faithful, forgiving, full of peace.

4️⃣ Exaltation

Father, Son, and Spirit—
thank You for weaving my story into Yours.

Thank You for giving me a partner to walk with,
so that together we can learn what love really means.

May our home echo heaven’s rhythm—
different roles, one heart;

different gifts, one grace.

Let our life together become a testimony
that love endures, believes, and never fails.
Amen.