Psalm 78: 1-8
“Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,
Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
We will not conceal them from their children,
But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children,
That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children,
That they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments, and not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.”
Father God, we praise You that You are the Father of all creation and that fatherhood was one of the first jobs You gave to man. From the Garden, it has always been Your plan for all men (and women and children) to have a relationship with You, our heavenly Father. We acknowledge that what it takes to be a real father to our children is to understand what You say godly fatherhood looks like, according to Your Word. And so we pray that fathers would have a heart for You, a hunger to study Your Word, and a desire to reflect Jesus to their families. Open their hearts to nurture a devoted love that honors their wives, that models true, faithful married love to their children. With Jesus’ example of servant leadership, we pray that earthly fathers seek to follow His example by gaining all the wisdom, knowledge, and spiritual resources required to lead wisely and equip their children for life’s challenges. Help them “train their children in the way they should go” by developing Christian character through spending time reading the Bible and praying with them. May fathers everywhere realize their full potential in Your kingdom, for the sake of this generation and for the generations to come. We ask for their sake and Yours, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
~ painting, “Hero” by Daniel F. Gerhartz
