No, I am not the perfect dad. I feel like the dad who had a second-grader who, when
asked to write about his personal hero, decided to write about her dad. Her dad asked ‘Why did you pick me?’ She responded, ‘Because I couldn’t spell Arnold Schwarzenegger.’
Many of us dads were thrust into fatherhood before we were ready, We feel inadequate. Certainly, many of us did not have the perfect role model. Many don’t know how to be a good dad, let alone a ‘perfect’ dad.
But Jesus let us know what a Perfect Father (God) would provide for His children. So, let’s look at the “Lord’s Prayer” a little different this Father’s Day. What can we provide our children and be more like our PERFECT FATHER.
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13)
A Perfect Father provides Daily Needs
We can count on our Heavenly Father to provide for our daily bread – symbol of daily needs. This reminds us to rely on God one day at a time. God cares about your daily, small problems. We are like our Heavenly Father when we provide for our children’s daily needs.
A Perfect Father provides Forgiveness
Our perfect Father forgives His imperfect children. Forgive means to send something away – to release it. God removes our sin far from us. The Bible describes our sins as debts. We are in spiritual debt to God. But He forgives us when we come to Him. We can be more like our Heavenly Father when we forgive the sins of our children. This does not mean we overlook their weaknesses. It means we help them overcome and find strength to fight spiritual and moral weaknesses.
A Perfect Father provides Guidance
This prayer asks the Father to lead and deliver. This means that our Heavenly Father will lead us into the right path, and deliver us from the wrong path. We can help our children as we guide them into the right decisions and counsel them away from the wrong decisions. Even as adults, our children need our encouragement to maintain a good Christian walk.
You can talk to your Heavenly Father today about anything you want. He cares about your daily needs. He cares about your mistakes, weaknesses, and sins. He wants you to follow Him into blessing. Take a cue from the Perfect Father – get into your children’s daily lives.