A praying father.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me. —

Psalm 143:1.

Zechariah, whose prayer for his son is recorded in Luke's Gospel, is a noteworthy example of a father who prays. A high priest at the temple in Jerusalem, Zechariah was a godly, respected man who was faithful and obedient to the Lord.

A praying father builds godly character. He's in a constant and authentic exchange with a real and present God. This can be more easily said than done, but do it we must. Join us on a fatherhood journey as we learn how to be praying fathers who impact future generations.

A praying father will “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” in behalf of his children, persistently trusting his wise heavenly Father to do what is best (Matthew 7:7-11). Let's thank God today for faithful fathers who never stop praying for their children.

Do you understand the power of a praying father? Do you realize how amazing it is that you can point your kids to God?

The best dads are usually the ordinary ones. They may not set land-speed records or have media outlets cover their exploits, but they love their wives, they play catch with their sons and they protect their little girls.

Nothing fancy. Nothing unusual. But still: extraordinary.

I’ve never met a godly dad who isn’t about the business of praying fervently. I’ve met lots of different types of dads. Dads who are too busy to connect with their kids. Some who could buy any gift for their kids—but can’t spend actual time with them. You get the idea. There are lots of dads out there.

But, the godly dad understands the importance of prayer. You pray with your family regularly and find yourself talking with God throughout the day. Being a godly dad only takes a few tools. One of those tools is praying fervently.

I’m convinced that if you trust God and know His Word, praying fervently becomes a byproduct of getting those first two tools in your pack. The more you trust God and the more you know His Word, the more you realize you need Him. You can’t do this alone. You need help. This means you’re gonna need to talk with God. It’s a two-way transmission that never stops.

Paul, the apostle, and writer of First Thessalonians told us to “pray without ceasing” (5:17). I know a dad, which I won’t name because he may read this. But, every time I talk with him, he starts our conversation with prayer and ends our conversation with a prayer. Now, that’s awesome and worthy of imitating.

But, there’s more. It’s hard to explain, but, as you talk to him, depending on the need of the person we’re talking about—it’s as if he enters into a state of prayer as he’s talking to you. It’s like he has a constant conversation going with God. What I mean is, he petitions God for things as he’s talking with you. He doesn’t have to say, “Okay, let’s bow our heads and close our eyes, and now we’ll pray for this or that.” No, he seems to flow in and out of talking with God all during our conversations.

I know, it sounds weird to write about and it’s hard to explain. I’ll stop trying to explain it. I’d simply call it “praying fervently.” My hope is, you know someone in your life who does this. Or maybe you and I can become “those people who pray fervently.” I truly believe this type of prayer-conversation is akin to what the apostle Paul was writing when he told us to pray without ceasing.

The godly dad understands the importance of praying fervently. You can’t trust God and know His Word but not lean on Him. The tool of praying fervently fits well with trusting God and knowing Scripture because once you truly know God and His Word, your prayers will be more about Him than yourself. You’ll long for what God wants instead of seeing Him as the genie of the lamp.

When you think about it, there may not be a ton of times where you pray with your family. So, it’s best you use the times you have. Whether it’s before dinner, before bed, and yes, once you’re kids are older, it may be before your kids are leaving the house on a visit.

We’ve talked about why prayer matters and what it could look like you your life. But how does your prayer life look right now? Do you really know what praying fervently looks like as a dad? And, what does it look like for you right now? It’s time you take an honest assessment. Once you do, you can determine where you are and what you should do next.

Think about it, which stage are you on right now? Decide now which stage you’re at. Then, determine to move to the next stage.

As the day that we set aside to show appreciation to all the Fathers approaches , it doesn't come without having a moment of self examination. Many Fathers look at the response from children or the lack of to determine what kind of Father they've been to them. I say, if you've been there for your children when they needed you, You have been a Good Father! Sometimes though, being good is not Good enough.

The hope for a father is etched into the masculine soul.

But it is a tenuous hope, yielding joy to some and misery to others. It is the blessing and curse of fathers. I want to explore how earthly fathers shape a man's heart. From my conversations with many men, I have seen the blessing and curse of fathers in stark contrast. For our fathers leave an imprint like no other, whether for ill or for good. Let's start with the father's blessing.

The blessing of the father is a well-known motif in the patriarchal narratives of Genesis. Esau anguished over losing his father's blessing (Gen. 27:38), and one whole chapter of Genesis describes the blessing Jacob gave to his twelve sons (Gen. 49). On a wider scale, the New Testament pictures Abraham as our father (Rom. 4:11-12), and the blessing that came through him is the gift of Jesus (Matt. 1:1), through whom all the nations will be blessed (Gen. 12:3).

The word blessing is one of the most important words in the story of the Bible. It connotes special favor from a greater to a lesser being. God's intention in the Bible is to bless humanity, and the way a father blesses his children was to echo this. The blessing of the father involves several key elements, including meaningful touch, a spoken affirmation, and envisioning their future.