I’ve never met a godly dad who isn’t about the business of praying fervently. I’ve met lots of different types of dads. Dads who are too busy to connect with their kids. Some who could buy any gift for their kids—but can’t spend actual time with them. You get the idea. There are lots of dads out there.
But, the godly dad understands the importance of prayer. You pray with your family regularly and find yourself talking with God throughout the day. Being a godly dad only takes a few tools. One of those tools is praying fervently.
Why does praying fervently matter as a dad?
I’m convinced that if you trust God and know His Word, praying fervently becomes a byproduct of getting those first two tools in your pack. The more you trust God and the more you know His Word, the more you realize you need Him. You can’t do this alone. You need help. This means you’re gonna need to talk with God. It’s a two-way transmission that never stops.
Paul, the apostle, and writer of First Thessalonians told us to “pray without ceasing” (5:17). I know a dad, which I won’t name because he may read this. But, every time I talk with him, he starts our conversation with prayer and ends our conversation with a prayer. Now, that’s awesome and worthy of imitating.
But, there’s more. It’s hard to explain, but, as you talk to him, depending on the need of the person we’re talking about—it’s as if he enters into a state of prayer as he’s talking to you. It’s like he has a constant conversation going with God. What I mean is, he petitions God for things as he’s talking with you. He doesn’t have to say, “Okay, let’s bow our heads and close our eyes, and now we’ll pray for this or that.” No, he seems to flow in and out of talking with God all during our conversations.
I know, it sounds weird to write about and it’s hard to explain. I’ll stop trying to explain it. I’d simply call it “praying fervently.” My hope is, you know someone in your life who does this. Or maybe you and I can become “those people who pray fervently.” I truly believe this type of prayer-conversation is akin to what the apostle Paul was writing when he told us to pray without ceasing.
The godly dad understands the importance of praying fervently. You can’t trust God and know His Word but not lean on Him. The tool of praying fervently fits well with trusting God and knowing Scripture because once you truly know God and His Word, your prayers will be more about Him than yourself. You’ll long for what God wants instead of seeing Him as the genie of the lamp.
The godly dad prays with his family regularly and finds himself talking with God throughout the day.
How does praying fervently play out in your life?
Any time my family and I visit my parents back in Tennessee—when leaving their home, my family holds hands in a circle and my dad prays. I took this for granted most of my life. Now that I’m older (and wiser), I realize, this was simply one more opportunity for my dad to be an example and point to God.
When you think about it, there may not be a ton of times where you pray with your family. So, it’s best you use the times you have. Whether it’s before dinner, before bed, and yes, once you’re kids are older, it may be before your kids are leaving the house on a visit.
Point is, praying fervently as a dad looks like a two-way communication between you and God. I know what it looks like because I’ve seen it with my dad. My dad is a fairly quiet guy. But, in the moments when he’s praying—he’s talking to his God on behalf of his family.
As I type this, I can hear my dad’s voice praying in his gentle and low voice. He always starts with thanking God for the time together. Then, he’ll pray for me and my wife—his daughter-in-law, and my kids—his grandkids—by name. And every name he mentions has a specific request that follows. The petition to God may be something we’ve talked about during the visit or something coming up in the kids’ lives when they arrive back home. That is what praying fervently looks like as a dad.
Come to think of it, my dad doesn’t pray those prayers over me and my family when I’m visiting—unless he’s prayed those prayers for days, weeks, months—in his quiet time—between our visits. Think of it as having a walkie-talkie between you and God. What messages are you sending or receiving right now? On your walkie-talkie, are you saying to God: “What’s your 20?” For those who don’t speak walkie-talkie like me, that’s code for “Where are you?” Or, maybe you’re saying, “10-4, good buddy.” As in, “I read You loud and clear.”
Praying fervently matters. Your Survival Gear will tell you more. But remember, Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
What messages are you sending or receiving right now?
What does praying fervently look like for you right now?
We’ve talked about why prayer matters and what it could look like you your life. But how does your prayer life look right now? Do you really know what praying fervently looks like as a dad? And, what does it look like for you right now? It’s time you take an honest assessment. Once you do, you can determine where you are and what you should do next.
Here are the four stages of praying fervently as a dad.
Stage 1 > New Traveler: You might pray at mealtime or bedtime with your family, but, that’s about it.
Stage 2 > Capable Navigator: Beyond just meals and bedtime, you’ll pray at events or when prompted by someone.
Stage 3 > Road Warrior: You have a quiet time where you intentionally pray for your family and events.
Stage 4 > Tour Guide: You pray with your family regularly and find yourself talking with God throughout the day.
Think about it, which stage are you on right now? Decide now which stage you’re at. Then, determine to move to the next stage.
Pray early and often.
