– 6 Min Read
Introduction
Becoming a father is one of the greatest privileges God could allow men to enjoy. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world, and not every man can or will become a biological father. However, because of the gospel, Paul was able to become a father to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 4:15). In other words, just as we become earthly fathers through one’s physical birth, so we can become spiritual fathers by one’s spiritual birth. To be a father according to the flesh and a father according to the gospel is not the same thing, but they are not too different. So, if you are reading this and you do not have children, that is okay! You, too, can pray these prayers over your spiritual children.
“O God, Forgive Their Sins”
His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 Now it happened when the days of feasting had completed their cycle, that Job would send and set them apart as holy. And he would rise up early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
– Job 1:4-5 (LSB)
As true fathers, we will prove ourselves by how we intercede for our children. The greatest display of love a father could show to his children is by praying for their salvation. Fathers love their children to heaven, not love them to hell (Eph. 6:4). As Peter exhorted the scattered church to love one another, he quotes Proverbs 10:12, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS” (1 Pet. 4:8). Like Job, we fathers should beseech God’s forgiveness on our children’s behalf. Fathers, do this in front of your children. Pray for their salvation before them at the dinner table, as you tuck them in at night. This is a sign of sincere love and a blessed seal upon the soul of the child. If and when the Spirit does come in salvific power upon the child, may He do so in the manner of a father’s answered prayer. What great encouragement to place in the heart of the child, that they may grow up knowing that their father regularly prayed over them.
Corresponding to the mindset of this prayer, let us remember the seriousness of sin. As we observe with Job, let us, too, find in our homes a hatred of sin. Job did not fear sin, but he feared what sin could do to his children. Sin separates us from God. Sin always has consequences. God has designed His law in such a way that when we break it there is always loss. As fathers, we do not want to see our children devastated by the results of their sins, much less be left unreconciled to God. Therefore, the father must be a pious example in the home and bring his children up in the fear of the Lord.
“O God, Sanctify Them”
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
– Philippians 2:12-13 (LSB)
When the father has done right by his children in raising them up as believers (Titus 1:6), there inevitably will come a time when they will leave the home. As we saw above with Job, the prayers of the father will continue even when the children leave. Part of praying that God would forgive them their sins is that God would also grow them in holiness. The Apostle Paul mentioned how the Philippians were obedient while he was with them, but now, more important than ever, he wishes for their continued obedience in his absence. This is where the rubber meets the road. The true Christian will “work out [their] salvation with fear and trembling“. This is a sign of both the will and the work of God in the believer. As fathers, we not only wish to see our children obey in the home, but also obey when they leave the home and continue their journey in holiness (Prov. 22:6). We recognize with Paul that this is only done and accomplished by God. So we pray to Him.
Corresponding to the mindset of this prayer, let us remember that we, too, need sanctifying. One of the hardest things a father will have to deal with is sinning in front of his children. Children look up to their fathers and have a high view of them, so when the father sins, it can be devastating in their eyes. Though this may hurt the father, it is a most glorious opportunity to repent before his children. A father who never repents of his sin is telling his children that he does not need sanctification, that he has no further room to grow in holiness. But a father who displays genuine brokenness over his sin and repents, sincerely shows his children the way of sanctification.
“O God, Be Glorified In Them”
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill all your good pleasure for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
– 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (LSB)
Last, but certainly not least, is the father’s ultimate prayer for God to be glorified in the child’s life. Part of what it means to be counted as worthy of the call to salvation is that one would bring glory to the name of the Lord Jesus. No matter how the father’s child lives his or her life, no matter what may come upon them, no matter what may happen to them, the Christian father wishes for Christ to be glorified in their lives. This is the supreme end of raising children; to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). But this task is only brought about “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” And so, we request of our God, through prayer, that He, by His grace working in our children, be glorified. What great joy will we share on the last day when we see our children’s good deeds for the Lord examined and proven pure. Knowing that by the grace of God we helped them in it, both by what we did for them as a father and how we prayed for them as a father.
Corresponding to the mindset of this prayer, let us remember to be fathers who seek the glory of God in all that we do. In the home of the Christian father, the glory of Christ is to reign above all. The true fulfillment of Christian service in all things is the glory of God, this most certainly includes fatherhood. Like Joshua, the Christian father is to lead his family in service to Yahweh (Joshua 24:15). As fathers, we want our children to be constantly aware of the glory of God in their lives. We want our children to make decisions based on what would bring God the most glory. Therefore, as fathers, we must lead by example in doing this by being joyfully satisfied in God’s glory. Let the Christian father delight in the glory of God amid his family.
Conclusion
Fathers, pray over your children as if their souls depend on it. Pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17). Pray in front of them, around them, near them, beside them, with them. Be marked as a father who regularly prays. Be remembered as a dad who always went to God in prayer. As Christian fathers, the greatest legacy we could leave behind is a legacy of prayerfulness. Make an impression on your kids about how important prayer is. Let them see in you the heart of a father who loves his children so much that he often goes to God on their behalf, for their benefit. And just know that you will never be stronger for your children than when you are on your knees in prayer.