Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers out there! Today is a special day, a day when you are celebrated for the men you are, and for the job that you have done in raising your children. Thank you for all that you do! Today’s Bible verse comes from the book of Proverbs, the 22nd chapter, the 6th verse:
Train up a child in the way he should go: even when he is old he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)
There is so much complexity on days like this, more than might first meet the eye. For starters, we are giving God thanks for the role that our father has played in our lives, both our earthly father and our Heavenly Father. However, this isn’t just a day to celebrate and give thanks. For many of you, this is a time of grief, of knowing that your father isn’t here anymore to celebrate with; for some, there is anger that your father isn’t here, either because he was taken already or because he never showed up at all. For others, this is a day of celebration, whether your father is here or not, of remembering the man he is or the man he was, both in good times and bad. The range of emotions goes on and on, so for all of us, I have this special pray I would like to pray over us all:
Our Heavenly Father, to You we give thanks…
Thanks for the love we have in our fathers…
Thanks for the joy we see in them when we come face to face…
Thanks for the men and women that we have become because of their guidance…Our Heavenly Father, we also turn to you today…
In grief for those that have lost their fathers before they were ready…
For those that are angry because their father isn’t here, either in body or in spirit…
And for those that never knew the love of their father…Lord, we pray this day…
For our fathers, those that are still with us; we pray that they will be here for many years to come…
For our fathers, those that are gone; we pray that their memory will live forever in our hearts…
For our fathers, those that we never knew; we pray that those children find (or found) You, and call You Abba, Father.
For their children, we pray that they remember that You are our Heavenly Father…
Both now, and forevermore. It is in the name of your Wonderful Son Jesus that we pray with Thanksgiving. Amen.
Now, please pray with me the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever and ever. Amen.
