6 Empowering Prayers for Dads

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. Contributing Writer
Updated Apr 10, 2024

As men we don’t often talk about it, but I was reminded of something that a fellow brother in Christ once told me. Being a man is hard. I know we like to portray the image of toughness and position ourselves as conquerors who can overcome anything. I also know the people in our lives often see us in this light, but I must concur with my friend. Being a man is hard.

There are challenges that come with manhood, especially when you consider the various roles we play. While I could list all of them, today I just want to focus on one: being a dad. One of the most challenging and rewarding roles in many men’s lives is that of being a dad. I know that is true of my life.

This is one of those jobs that you really can’t study for or prep for. You are thrust into it and must learn as you go. The challenge only magnifies if you have more than one child because you will quickly discover how you dealt with one child may not work on the other. At the end of the day, being a good dad will require much prayer and wisdom that comes from God’s word and the Holy Spirit.

For today, let’s focus on prayer. Here are six prayers that you can pray as you are facing the challenge of being a dad.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Kelli McClintock

dad holding and hugging daughter outside smiling big looking happy

8 Prayers for Dads

1. Prayer of Thanks for Dad

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

The best place to begin a prayer for dads is by giving thanks. This is difficult for many people because dads come in all varieties. Some really good and some not so good. Regardless let’s give thanks for dads, because at the very least you wouldn’t be here on this earth without him.

I want to offer two different prayers here – thanks for good dads and thanks for not so good dads.

1a. Prayer of Thanks for a Good Dad

Lord, thank you for my dad. Thank you not because he was perfect, but because he was present and always tried to do his best. Help me to learn from him and take the lessons he tried to teach me to help me be a better person, and the one you called me to be.

Amen.

1b. Prayers of Thanks for Not So Good Dad

Lord, thank you for my dad. He was not the best father, and many times was absent. However, thank you because you used him to give me life, and through the life he helped produce, you are using me to impact others.

Amen.

2. Prayer for Wisdom for Dads

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

Lord, I pray for wisdom. You know the challenges and the decisions that are required daily. You know the pressures I experience as I navigate through life. Give me wisdom in every area of my life. Let me be wise with relationships, wise with career, wise with money, wise with calling, and wise in every other area of life. Let the wisdom you give me be evident to all, and mostly recognized by my children. Let your wisdom be present in every choice I make so my life would be pleasing to you.

Amen.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/digitalskillet

dad and daughter in a park looking through binoculars

3. Prayer for Dad's Strength

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31, NLT).

Lord, give me strength to be a dad today. More importantly help me to recognize my strength comes only from you. Help me to wait before you and to completely trust you because it is in this place that I will find strength. Help me not to run from my weaknesses but to embrace them and bring them to you, because when I am weak before you, I will stand strong before everyone else.

Amen.

4. Prayer for Dad's Faith

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Lord, I offer this prayer to help me with my faith. I know that faith only grows when it is tested, and I pray I would pass the test. Let my life be a journey of ever-increasing faith. I pray not only for the faith in you, but the faith that is demonstrated to the world around you. Let my faith be evident to all and allow it to point other people to Christ through my life. Also, help me to pass this faith that you have given me to those who will come after me. Help me to create a legacy of faith that continues from one generation to the next.

Amen.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Hakase_

dad holding infant baby asleep on his shoulder

5. Prayer for a New Dad

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

Lord, help me as I begin my journey into fatherhood. Even though I look forward to fatherhood, I face it with excitement and trepidation. Help me to know I can trust in you, and you will be with me on this journey. Remind me often that I don’t have to be perfect, but most importantly I need to be present in the life of my child. Give me new patience and new grace as I walk a road I have never walked before. However, I thank you that you have gone before me and will help me navigate these waters. Help me from day one to set the right example so my child will see you in me and will long for the God I serve to be present in their life.

Amen.

6. Prayer for an Aging Dad

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6-7).

Lord, as I grow older and the seasons of life have changed, I thank you for my children. You have given me the privilege to raise them, and I have seen them grow into adulthood. My prayer is for them as they must now walk in steps that I had to walk in. Give them grace for the journey and help me to adjust in my new role not just as father, but as friend. Help me to always be the encourager, reminding them to keep their eyes on you and to continue to help them be the person you created them to be. It has been an honor to be their father. Now help me to finish my journey strong.

Amen.

Group of men putting their hands together

You Don’t Walk Alone

I will end this with the same thought I started with. Being a man is hard. However, it is good to know that as a man and a dad we don’t walk alone. Let these prayers be a reminder that you can bring everything to God in prayer; nothing is too small. Learn to cast everything on him because he is a loving father, and he wants to step in and help.

By the way if you did not have a good model of an earthly father, you have the perfect model in your Heavenly Father. Everything you need to learn about being a dad he will teach you, and this should bring you comfort along the way. I pray you would go forth and be the dad God desires you to be.

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.