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June - A Month of Emotion

Holey, Wholly, Holy.: Pastoral Prayer for Father's Day

The month of June has come and is already on the way out! The months seem to fly by, but June is one month out of the year for me that holds an entire year worth of emotion. In the span of a few weeks in June some momentous anniversaries occur. First the anniversary of my father's death, then my wedding anniversary and then the holiday of Father's Day. Many posts have been written sharing our family story. They can be found under 'Crisis" and "Grief" labels on the sidebar. 

Through the years, these dates that hold utmost significance in my life cause me to pause and be thankful for the fatherly influences that have come to a beautiful fruition.  

My father - no words are needed to what a father means to a girl. Her hero, protector, friend, advisor and the one influence that can fill her heart with love and acceptance.  No father is perfect and mine made some choices that negatively affected our family, but I never doubted his love for a minute. 

My wedding - our wedding day was 8 days after my father's death. We made the mutual choice to keep the date and proceed with the wedding and it truly was the best choice! Making a new life together helped ease the grief and loss and every year moved us toward establishing a new legacy.
*As a bonus gift, I gained a wonderful father in law who is steadfast and faithful in the lives of his children and grandchildren, preparing a rich legacy for years to come.

Father's Day - what a beautiful day to remember my father and his love, to celebrate and appreciate the father my husband is to our children.  Past influence, present celebration and anticipated future blessings. 

This weekend is all about the men in our life. A godly, Christian man is truly one of life's greatest gifts. May our words and actions demonstrate love and respect for them and may our prayers be heartfelt as we seek their best all year long. 

How appropriate it is to pray for our men on Father's Day.

A quick note for those who may experience different emotions on this day:
"Father's Day can hold many emotions for both men and women - those who had a loving father that passed away, those who never knew their dad, those expectantly waiting to become a dad soon, and countless other situations surrounding the father-child relationship. God can use this special day to draw us closer to Himself - the one true Father who remains faithful and full of unconditonal love. Use these Father's Day prayers to bring God's peace and glory into your home and life today."

Lord, we pray specifically for fathers and fatherhood across our land. Your Word clearly instructs fathers to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). God, we thank You for the men who are leading according to Your statutes and the ones that are laying their lives down for Your purposes. We pray that You will continue to use these men to lead their families and other men. We pray You will strengthen the fathers of our nation and that You will continue to empower churches, organizations, and individuals to invest in fathers and fatherhood for the sake of our children.  

Bless every father and every grandfather with the best of your spiritual blessings today. Let him know he is not alone in the tasks you have given him to provide for and support those under his care. Show him how much you delight in his work, and affirm the value of whatever You have given him to do—both as a father or grandfather and as a child of Yours. Confirm his worth daily so he has no reason to doubt whether he is loved in the eyes of his Heavenly Father.

Create in him a deep sense of trust in You, knowing that He can count on You to help him lead and protect those dependent on him. Let him know that every unselfish act of love and encouragement he has offered has been a gift that You receive gladly. Show him how effective the prayers of a godly man really are, and what a difference he has and can make to those around him, no matter how big or small the assignment.

Give him a passionate faith, a persevering spirit, and a powerful testimony that overcomes any weakness or doubt, as he wears the armor of God daily You have provided for him as a spiritual leader and child of God.

Today, on special days, and for all the days of his life, fill him with the best of Your blessings, so that one day he will stand before you and hear Your ultimate words of praise, “Well done, my son, well done!” In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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