Father God,
I lay my life in Your hands this night.
Give me peace that I will be alright.
Shine on me that I’ll dwell in Your light.
Keep me close and always hold me tight.
You are my God – my complete delight
Father, I am wholly Yours – Good night.
Father God
Father’s Day Prayer
Happy Father’s Day to all the men out there. You are being honored today for showing godly love to others and for living out your calling to reflect God’s glory. The following is a prayer that I have adapted from a Mother’s Day prayer that I came across years ago.
Have a great day, guys, and to God be the glory.
God our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things. Bless those fathers, who have been called and accepted the responsibility of parenting and/or showing fatherly love to others.
Bless those who have lost a spouse to death or divorce.
Bless those who, through various circumstances, find themselves parenting their children alone.
Bless those men who have been called to parent children through adoption or the foster care system.
Bless grandfathers who share their wisdom and love with multiple generations.
Bless those fathers who have had to bear the grief of mourning the death of a child.
We give thanks for uncles and godfathers and neighbors, who share fatherly love with so many children; and for far too often overlooked stepfathers.
We give thanks for those who choose to remain without biological children, sharing love with the world in many ways.
We pray for those who struggle with infertility, whose desire for a child is met with frustration.
We pray for the fathers of children with special needs and chronic illness, who know anxiety and exhaustion better than most.
We pray for those who were given abuse and heartbreak by the ones called to love them.
We pray for fathers who have made the difficult and loving decision to entrust a child to adoptive parents.
Strengthen all these men by your love that they may become the loving, caring persons they are called and meant to be; reflecting Your love and glory. Grant this through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Sugar-Coated Garbage
My dad’s birthday is coming up and there is a very good chance I will get a card in the mail soon so he can actually get it before or on his birthday. It would no doubt shock him if I were to accomplish that amazing feat. More than likely my wife will pick it out, but I will actually sign, address and mail it. When I address it, I will write out his name (legibly), put the address below his name and then below that, his city, state and zip code. Why…because I want it to actually get to him.
[Why in the world are you writing about this?]
Great question. I’m glad you asked. Hang on, I promise you that I have a point.
Now, if I were to simply write on the envelop, “Dad”, with a stamp and return address, what would happen?
[Well duh, the post office would return it to you.]
That is correct, because it is not clear who I am talking about. It could be anyone’s dad. The note inside would probably only work for my dad, but I am sure someone could twist it to make it work for their dad too.
[Okay, I’m ready for your point now.]
Well, here you go.
Recently I came across a prayer that was used in a Christian church that started in this way…
Mother of all Wisdom, and Father of Surprise
[Umm, I thought you said a “Christian church”]
That’s what I said. Shocking, I know.
You see, this has bothered me ever since I came across that prayer and far be it from me to leave it alone. What is wrong with that address? Simply this – it is not clear to whom it is being addressed. The prayer could have been used with any religion; mystic, naturistic, cult, etc. There was nothing Christian about the prayer. And worse yet, this type of language is being peddled in many mainline denominations as trendy and progressive, but it is anything but Christian. It is sugar-coated garbage, and it is killing people. And the antidote/defense? Actually, read the Bible and listen.
It saddens me and sickens me that people I know and care about are taking this in, thinking it is biblical because their pastor endorses it. God is God; Father, holy, mighty and powerful. God is Creator, Healer and Sovereign. God needs to be addressed appropriately. There is no need to get creative, progressive or trendy. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We don’t need to grow with the times and/or the culture.
To use titles and terms like I shared above is misleading and paints a picture of a god that does not save. Stick to the Bible and address your prayers in such a way that the recipient (God) is honored, glorified and revered, not using terms like…
Mother of all Wisdom, and Father of Surprise
Mother God
Our Mother who art in heaven
Allow me to call it what it is: sugar-coated garbage.
Holy God, Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, may Your name be held in honor and esteem. Teach us to use Your name in such a way that You are glorified. You are worthy and thus may we never take liberties with Your name in order to be trendy and “with the times”. Father God, You are awesome. All praise be to You through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
The Heart of a Pastor 