Four Children’s Prayers for Their Fathers

At the end of the cul-de-sac on Shady Brook Lane were four houses. Each is the home of  boy and his family. The boys spend hours playing together. Legos and bike riding are their favorite things to do.

While it may have looked to their family’s like all they did was play and ride, they each spent time taking in what the other families were like.Sometimes when they went inside after a day of playing they would pray they had a different dad. Well, not a completely different dad. Maybe a dad that was just a little more like one of the other dads.

Prayers for their Fathers

Dear God,

I love my dad. You know I do!  His hands are always stained when he comes home. Mom has to scrub his clothes each and everyday so the grease from the cars doesn’t set into them.

Please God give him a new job. I would love for him to have a job that he would need to wear a suit too. Kevin’s dad wears a suit and tie to work everyday. He never comes home dirty. Maybe you could give him a job like him.

Amen!

Kevin

Kevin lives in a house next door. It is two story house with black shutters. The house isn’t fancy or big. Kevin’s mom had hope for years that would move to a bigger house, but Kevin’s dad said they needed to save for the future.  Kevin’s dad had a job at big insurance company. He seemed to work all the time. Work has kept him at the office late. Then he comes home and works some more.

Kevin’s Prayer

Dear God,

My dad works so hard. He hardly seems to have time to sleep. He didn’t come to many of my soccer games this spring.  I am sure wanted him to be there. He would have loved to see me make those goals.

Please God give him a job that doesn’t take so much time. Jason’s dad seems to be at home for dinner every night and he was at every soccer game. Maybe you could give him a job like his dad.

Charlie

Charlie lives in a tan vinyl sided house with big window in the living room. It is perfect for looking out into the cul-de-sac to see who was coming home from work and who headed out with their family for dinner. Charlie’s dad is the Army and he has been away from almost six months so far. Charlie knows his dad is in some place called Afghanistan. He talks to him through Skype on the computer, but it isn’t the same as having him home all the time.

Charlie’s Prayer

Dear God

I miss my dad so much. He used to take me and my sister Rose to the park on Saturdays. Sometimes we would stop at McDonald’s for lunch. It was wonderful. Just having him to ourselves.  If we stopped at  McDonald’s, Dad would always get an extra large sweet tea for Mom. She loves sweet tea and Dad loved to surprise her with it.

Please God bring him home to us. I wish he could be home all the time like Joseph’s dad. Joseph’s dad is home all day long seven days a week. That would be so cool. When my dad comes home, can you have him be home all the time.

Joseph

Joseph lives in the house just as you were leaving the cul-de-sac. The house’s window’s seemed to glisten in the sun. Joseph’s dad washed them often. He also mows the lawn regularly and sometimes heads over to  Charlie’s house to mow the lawn there. Joseph’s dad tries to keep busy when he isn’t looking for a job.

He had been hunting for a month or two and hadn’t found anything yet. The extra family time and time to get caught up on things that had been left to do later had been wonderful that first month. Now he is starting to worry. Joseph can see the worried looks his parents share. They try to hide their concern from him, but he is old enough to sense something was worrying them.

Joseph’s Prayer

Dear God

I love, love, love having my dad here to take me to the park and the library. We find the best books to check out. Some are a little violent. Mom wouldn’t be excited about the books on tanks and war planes, but Dad seems to think they are okay.

My parents are worried though. They talk sometimes in whispers about dad’s job hunt and how mom has to start hunting too. I have head mom say that we need something called insurance.

Please God give my dad job like Charlie’s dad, or Kevin’s dad, or Jason’s dad have. I know he could do just about any job you gave him. He just needs to have job.

Amen

The Boys’ Prayers

Each of these boys loves their dads you can hear that in their prayers. Each of these boys sees something that he thinks could be changed. Each of the boys sees a dad that has what they think their dad needs and none of the boys realize that someone might want what each of their dads to have.

What is most important is that each of these boys is that they realize they can lift their concerns in prayer! 

They may not get the prayer answered as they have requested it though. God may answer their prayer in his own time and way. They may not understand that.

The hearts and prayers of these boys are simple and come from pure hearts.  I hope that you will take a few moments on before Father’s Day to pray with your children for their dads.

They may surprise you with  what they share in prayer. I bet Joseph, Kevin, Jason and Charlie’s moms might have been a little surprised at what their child prayed. (Well, maybe they wouldn’t. Moms are pretty good at knowing what is on their children’ hearts.)

This post in linked to Mrs. Matlock’s Alphabe Thursday and Pour Your Heart Out on Things I Can’t Say.