The One Where God Likes Your Kids ...Even When You Don't (When Dads Pray - Week 7)
My kids are quite the curious bunch, especially my oldest. A simple answer is never enough for him. He’ll ask questions till he gets to the root of my underlying motive for why I said what I said; which is fine, except for the fact that it’s usually at 2:00am and I gotta get up in 4 hours!
But one of his oddest follow up questions he has consistently stuck with is the one that comes after I tell him how much I love him. He’s fond of following up by saying, “I love you too, daddy. But why do you love me?”
Interestingly, I have been preparing for this question since I was in seminary. I know that sounds odd, but let me explain. In seminary, I took a class called, “SOUL CARE” (which is exactly what it sounds like), and it ended up bringing to light some childhood wounds I never dealt with.
The class helped me work through and let go of a lot of baggage I had carried years. One key lessons that came out of that season was the truth that God loves me, not because of how much effort I was making to do the right thing in my walk with Him, but because it truly gave Him joy (and because it was “…according to the good pleasure of His will.” – Ephesians 1:5).
That Biblical truth transformed my vision of what a Father does and who a Father is supposed to be, way before I was even a dad!
So, when my oldest son, even at an early stage began to ask why it is I love him, I was very careful to let him know that it wasn’t because of how handsome or brilliant he was, or how great a job he did at whatever his mom last instructed him to do; but rather, I told him that I loved him because God gave him to me as a special gift!
Now, that is a love he never has to earn!! That is a love that will always be readily available for him as long as God gives me breath.
It is, of course also a love that I don’t always live up to.
As fathers, our kids look up to us as heroes, but we know all too well just how human we are. We know that we will love our kids imperfectly, and whether intentionally or unintentionally – our sinful behavior may end up demonstrating to our kids that our love and approval of them depends on their performance.
Like I said, we’re awfully human.
The one thing we can work hard to do right, however, is to teach them that their Father in heaven is madly in love with them, so much so that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to come start a lifelong friendship with us. It’s that message that we as dads should strive to make clear to our kids!
So, dads, join me as I pray for that our kids would truly embrace the truth that God not only loves them, but actually likes them!
PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS
“Lord Jesus, your word says in Romans 8:38-39 that no one and no thing will ever be able to drive a wedge between you and us! Absolutely nothing! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! Thank you so much for loving my children so dearly. Jesus, I pray that you would help this truth stick to their heart like glue so that they never forget about your great love for them.
Lord Jesus, guard my children’s hearts against any lie that the devil might try to tell them about their value and their worth. Place a shield of truth around their mind so that when other people speak negative things to them about how they look, where they’re from, or what they do, they would be secure enough in your love to say, “Nope, that is a lie. I am loved by God, the creator of heaven and earth!”
Father in heaven, convince my children by your Holy Spirit and through the Bible that even on their worst days and their greatest mistakes, that You still remain faithful to them. Show them according to your word that absolutely nothing can get between them and your love because of the way Jesus Christ has embraced them. Remind them always that when they turn to Jesus Christ by faith and ask for your help, you will always be a good friend who will come alongside them to help them. May they always have a close friendship with you, and as a result, would you teach them to be great friends with others.
Father, teach them to always come to you in prayer with a sense of great expectation, but also with a clear sense of awe and wonder at your holy nature. Grant them understanding even in these early years just how mighty and holy, and in many respects, unapproachable you are. You word says in 1 Timothy 6:16 “[You are the God] who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.” Let this understanding result in reverence and great respect for you in our kids lives (to the level that they can even comprehend it). Jesus, help our kids understand that they are praying to their Father in heaven, who draws near to those whose hearts have been broken, and who helps those who are suffering and crying out for help.
Lord God, deepen their friendship with you. Help our kids establish a strong sense of comfort in pouring their heart out to you. Grant them great faith, mountain-sized faith that results in bold prayers in their lives. May they be like the young shepherd boy, David, who in the face of Goliath, a man several times his size, declared, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” Increase their confidence and trust in you with each answered, or even delayed answers to their prayers. Jesus, let their relationship with you not feel forced, but let their faith and confidence in you flow freely from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
It’s in Jesus name that I pray these things. Amen.”
DOWNLOAD WEEK 7: PRAYER RESULTS WORKSHEET
Hey dad, thanks for taking the time to pray along with me today. If you enjoyed today’s blog post, I would love to hear your feedback and any insight you might have about what we should pray for next. Just leave a note below in the comment section!
If you’re REALLY digging this series, then go a step further by sharing this post on your social media platforms and tell some other dads about it! Thanks again for dropping in.
Catch you same time next week!
Husband. Dad. Pastor. Nigerian American. Storyteller. Aspiring Prayer Warrior. Steak Lover. Follower of Jesus Christ reminding you that God the Father still loves you.
