Moms can do a lot…
except take the place of a Dad
I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, but I can never, ever replace a man.
“Anyone can father a child, but being a dad takes a lifetime. Fathers play a role in every child’s life that cannot be filled by others. This role can have a large impact on a child and help shape him or her into the person they become.” ~Pediatrics Associates of Franklin
Father’s Day is a day set aside to honor fathers, who like mothers, can be represented in a variety of ways. We have biological fathers, stepfathers, foster dads, adopted fathers, and bonus dads. However he, aka: dad, ended up in your life, hopefully he did the best he could and was a good father.
As always, I know not everyone’s experiences with their parental role model(s) is ideal, and for that I am sorry, and yet so grateful we have a heavenly Father who is the perfect parent for all. Your earthly father might not have been the kind of Father God called him to be. Maybe he let you down, was absent, angry, abusive, whatever, but please know, that is not who our heavenly Father is, and He is the ultimate role model for all.
photo by Jack Sharp @jacksharp_photography
We live in a culture where masculinity is being scrutinized and broken down, a culture that wants to destroy traditional roles that God created men specifically for, leader in the home, provider, protector, and teacher. It’s a society that wants men to feel ashamed or guilty for being who they were wired to be. Men are deemed toxic if they are “too manly,” “too strong,” or if they step into their role as protector and provider.
“The expectations that fuel shame for women are based on our culture’s perception of what is acceptable for women. In my new research on men, I’m learning that the expectations that fuel shame for men are based on our culture’s perception of masculinity – what should a man be, look like and act like.” ~Brené Brown
Society wants us to believe that there are really no differences between men and women and that we can essentially be either one if we so choose, but God created a man and a woman for specific roles. We each, individually, men and women, have a unique and critical role to play in the lives of children, and society. So, whether we have or had wonderful earthly fathers or not, let’s lift up the men of our world today for they are under heavy attack by the enemy who wants nothing more than to destroy the very foundation of our world, the nuclear family. By taking the man out of men, as a society we will crumble.
As a wife, there is no one better to pray over your husband than you. As a mom, you are called to pray over your sons and their future, and their future wife and family. If you are single, pray over your potential spouse you are yet to meet, or the husbands and fathers of your friends. The point is, we all know men who need our prayers, and we are called to lift them up high. To fight for them, on our knees.
“God loves men and He wired them for success! The enemy has been disrupting God’s preferred plans for our men through a strategy to steal, kill and destroy them. Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams noted, “Life is not fair; we only get what we are willing to fight for!” By praying for our men, boys and families we are positioned to “Fight to Win!” God used a man to redeem humankind and He continues to empower men to work in His Kingdom!” The Prayer Institute
Are you willing to fight for the men in your life?
photo by Ben White @benwhitephotography
Trust me, I have plenty of good reasons to have a negative opinion of men after all the hurt and betrayal I have experienced because of men, but I certainly do not want men to compare me to every woman who has hurt and betrayed them and praying for our men is the only way to combat what the enemy wants to use to keep us divided. Nothing changes me more, than when I pray for others.
I came across this blog post by, Rachel Wojo, 10 Prayers to Pray Over Your Husband, that sums up everything I wanted to suggest that we pray, not just over husband’s, but over all men in our lives, and in our world. We need to fight for them through prayer because our enemy seeks to kill and destroy everything about masculinity and God’s plan for men.
Rachel Wojo, 10 Prayers to Pray Over Your Husband
1. Pray for his work.
“Lord, I pray that You would bless my husband’s work. That he would be diligent and prosperous. That You would give him wisdom and discernment. God, I pray You would give him strength to walk the opportunities you provide. Thank you, Lord.” Do you see a person skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of the unknown. Proverbs 22:29 CSB
2. Pray for his heart, soul, and mind.
“Father, I praise You for my husband, Your unique creation. Please guard his heart and mind, Jesus. Protect him from temptation and fill him up with the good things he needs. You’ve promised to fill his soul with what he needs and I ask You to do just that.” For he has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9 CSB
3. Pray for healing from the past.
“God, would You heal the wounds of my husband’s heart? You’ve promised healing to those who submit to You. Lord, please smooth the scars of past hurts and brokenness. May Your healing permeate his being, inside and out.” Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for you are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14 CSB
4. Pray for courage.
“Lord, You are gracious and merciful, yet You are all-powerful and understanding. This world can be a fearful place and I pray that You would give my husband courage. Lord, infuse his character with courage for daily decisions and the difficult ones as well.” The fear of the Lord leads to life; one will sleep at night without danger. Proverbs 19:23 CSB
5. Pray for his leadership.
“God, You have provided Your Word and I am so grateful. May Your Word guide my husband as the leader of our home. May his leadership skills be empowered by your wisdom. I trust that You will lead in his hand and heart in our relationship, his work, our home, community and church.” Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. James 1:5 CSB
6. Pray for wisdom in finances.
“Lord, money yields the greatest potential to cause problems in a home. Please give my husband wisdom as he seeks to honor You with finances. I praise You for the blessings You’ve provided and I pray that You would help him, help us, to always honor You first.” Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. Hebrews 13:5 CSB
7. Pray for a heart for the Lord. “Father, please give my husband a pure heart for You. May he seek to love You and trust You with everything he has and is. Protect him from opinions intended to sway him from Your Word.” Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. Ephesians 6:6 CSB
8. Pray for his speech.
“Father, in a day when the world speaks with complete corruption, keep my husband’s words pure before You. I pray that he would use his words just as You would have him to. I praise You for his personality and pray for purposeful conversations in our marriage.” No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 CSB
9. Pray for his friendships.
“Lord, I pray that You would provide encouraging friendships for my husband. That he would know he is never alone because You are with him, but I ask for others to speak into his life and sharpen him as he sharpens them.” Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 CSB
10. Pray for your husband to be a good father.
“God, I thank You that You are the good, good Father. Would you help my husband’s parenting to reflect You? May his children know Your heavenly love personally and experience it through their earthly father.” Fathers don’t stir up anger in your children but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 CSB
If your earthly father makes you question your heavenly father, remember this…“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 Your heavenly Father loves you too much to leave you without a way to have eternal life. He did not, will not, cannot fail you, not matter what your earthly father was like.
Just the Facts: Source- THE PRAYER RELAY MOVEMENT
National Fatherhood Initiative
Children raised in a father-absent home are more likely to experience behavioral problems. 3 million children live in single-parent families, which is 22% of all children in families; this proportion has remained around the same for over a decade.
92% of parents in prison are fathers. Children in single-parent families are twice at risk of living in relative poverty than those in couple families (poverty rates are 47% and 24% respectively)
1 in 4 children live in a home without a dad. 20% of single-parent households were in persistent poverty in 2015, compared with 5% of couple households.
85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Correction)
90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
Adolescent boys with absent fathers are more likely to engage in delinquency than those with fathers who are present. 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes. [Rainbows for all God’s Children]
“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” ~Billy Graham
Additional Reading:
The Importance of a Father in a Child's Life
The Prayer Institute-A Prayer for Our Men
