A Litany for Father’s Day

Always-parenting God, we cry out to you with a prayerful heart on behalf of our fathers.

Where our fathers have blessed us with their faithfulness, integrity, and love, deepen our gratitude.

LET OUR PRAYERS BECOME A SONG THAT PLEASES YOUR HEART.

Where our fathers have wounded, mistreated, or abandoned us, deepen our healing and forgiveness.

LET OUR PRAYERS BECOME AN EXPERIENCE OF YOUR EMBRACE.

Where children and fathers are alienated from one another, deepen either our reconciliation or our acceptance of necessary distance.

LET OUR PRAYERS BECOME INSTRUMENTS OF RECONCILIATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND PEACE.

Where good men have never been called to be fathers, or have never been given the opportunity to raise children, deepen the fatherly role they play in the lives of many.

LET OUR PRAYERS BECOME AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO ALL MEN AND AN ILLUMINATION OF THE CRITICAL ROLE THEY PLAY IN YOUR STORY.

Where fathers are grieving over the loss of their children and children over the loss of their fathers, deepen our awareness of your weeping and redeeming presence.

LET OUR PRAYERS BECOME THE CHANNEL THROUGH WHICH YOU MAKE YOUR WAY INTO OUR DEEPEST PAIN.

Where fathers are committed to loving their children comprehensively and raising them in a spirit of vulnerability, devotion, and gentleness, deepen the joy and purpose they find in fatherhood.

LET OUR PRAYERS BECOME A GRATITUDE THAT IS DEEPER THAN OUR WORDS.

Where fathers and children are struggling in relationships that feel broken, depleted or dysfunctional, deepen our shared compassion and encouragement.

LET OUR PRAYERS BECOME PART OF THE HEALING THAT YOU OFFER TO WOUNDED SOULS.

On this Father’s Day, engage us in a more dynamic communion with your holy presence, where fatherhood always finds its origin, its meaning, and its redemption. We pray this in the name of Jesus, whose perfect relationship with the Father is the source of our deepest hope. AMEN.