A Prayer of Heartfelt Gratitude for Fathers - Your Daily Prayer - June 21
A Prayer of Heartfelt Gratitude for Fathers
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers.” - 1 Timothy 5:1
Listen or Read Below:
Born on my dad’s 25th birthday, every few years our shared birthday falls on Father’s Day. That makes the day especially meaningful to me because it reminds me how special it was to be born on the same day as him.
Although he wasn’t perfect, he seemed perfect to me as a child.
Even as I matured and realized he wasn’t perfect, it didn’t matter because his love for me and my love for him covered a multitude of sins on both our parts, just as 1 Peter 4:8 explains: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
It’s easy in life to dwell on the ways our fathers disappointed or failed us and allow those shortcomings to overshadow the positive qualities they have and the values they instilled in us.
But our fathers don’t have to be perfect for us to have hearts full of gratitude for their lives and influence. Despite their human flaws and failures, God has given us reasons to be thankful for them.
4 Reasons to Be Grateful for Dads
1. God gave us fathers. Fatherhood was God’s idea and part of His divine plan. As the original Father of all creation, He made man in His image, forming him to reflect His fatherly qualities and giving him strengths to pass on to future generations.
Simply because God created fathers gives us reason enough to express heartfelt gratitude to Him for them. As Leviticus 19:32 reminds us, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.”
2. God gives us life through our fathers. If we can think of nothing else to be grateful for when it comes to our fathers, we can remember that God gave us life through them.
Without their participation in creating life, none of us would be here. Nothing created in a laboratory can replace the God-given ability of human fathers to help bring new life into the world. As Proverbs 23:22 urges, “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”
3. God made fathers essential to life. Even though fatherhood has taken a hit over the years, with many people declaring men’s place in the family and culture as unnecessary or insignificant, that idea is simply not true. Fathers are essential to life and irreplaceable.
As Ephesians 6:2-3 commands, “Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
4. God leads us through fathers. Many fathers teach their children how to live, work, and care for themselves because God has given them an honored place in the family. Yet even through their shortcomings, dads can teach valuable lessons about life; what to pursue, what to avoid, and how to persevere.
As Proverbs 20:20 warns, we want to be careful in how we speak of our fathers, so that we don’t experience the consequences of our words: “If someone curses their father or mother, their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
Today, we want to express heartfelt gratitude to You for our fathers, for those who have been faithful to You in the honored positions You have given them.
We thank You, O Lord, for their steadfastness, love, and endurance as fathers. We are grateful to You for the ways You have strengthened them and guided their steps so that they might lead us in righteousness.
And Father, we thank You, too, for the fathers who have fallen short of Your will because, even so, they are created in Your image, and You gave us life through them.
On Father’s Day and all year long, we offer heartfelt gratitude to You for creating the fathers from whom You have given us life.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Discuss today’s devotional with others in the Your Daily Prayer thread on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: Halfpoint
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling sits down with theologian and spiritual formation professor Kyle Strobel to discuss the new book When God Seems Distant, coauthored with John Coe. If this episode helps you recenter your work and life on God, be sure to follow Unhurried Living on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
