Father's Day Prayers and Blessings

Father's Day can hold many emotions for both men and women - those who had a loving father that passed away, those who never knew their dad, those expectantly waiting to become a dad soon, and countless other situations surrounding the father-child relationship. God can use this special day to draw us closer to Himself - the one true Father who remains faithful and full of unconditonal love. Use these Father's Day prayers to bring God's peace and glory into your home and life today.

A Prayer for All Fathers on Father's Day

Father, we come before you today humbled and in awe of Your grace and mercy. Lord, we thank You for the way You have designed what a family is supposed to look like and the specific roles You have ordained to a mother and a father of how to lead their children. Yet Lord, through our sinful ways we have taken what You have made holy and created our own version of today’s families. Because of this, our children are suffering. It is for the fathers, families, and children of our nation that we do pray today. 

Lord, we pray specifically for fathers and fatherhood across our land. Your Word clearly instructs fathers to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). God, we thank You for the men who are leading according to Your statutes and the ones that are laying their lives down for Your purposes. We pray that You will continue to use these men to lead their families and other men. We pray You will strengthen the fathers of our nation and that You will continue to empower churches, organizations, and individuals to invest in fathers and fatherhood for the sake of our children.  

We pray for the single fathers out there; whether they are raising their children alone or even if they are doing the best they can with the time they have. We pray for strength, protection, wisdom, and discernment to help them through whatever trials they may be facing. Thank You Lord for these men and please guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, help meet all of their needs, that they may experience Your peace that surpasses all comprehension. 

We pray for the dads out there who are being alienated from their children right now. We pray, oh Lord, that You would shield and shelter them from the pain and possibly the anger that may be rising up in them, for You to strike down the barriers that are hindering these dads from seeing their children. God, do not let this destroy them as men, fathers, or in their relationship with You. They need You in a mighty way and we pray You would show Yourself strong on behalf of anyone that is being alienated from their children and that You would reunite these families together. 

Lord, we lift up the dads right now that are not stepping up to the plate as fathers, for whatever reason. Once again, we have allowed the evil one to get into our lives and wreak havoc on what You have said is good. We pray for these men to come to their knees and repent, that they would turn from their ways, seek You, and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Father, we pray for their children and the moms who are parenting alone because of these men’s decisions. We pray You would step in as a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows in these situations, that their story would be another testimony that nothing is too hard for You. 

Finally, Father we lift up the men and women that are on the front lines in the battle for fatherhood and the war against fatherlessness. God, You clearly put leaders of all calibers in positions of influence: from the highest ranks to the least of these. However we know that with men these initiatives would fall short, but with You all things are possible. We pray for everything from the right funding for the programs to continue, to godly leadership from beginning to end. We pray for a revival of manhood and for fathers to lead their families by beginning each day on their knees. God Your Word says that You will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers (Malachi 4:6). As our Creator, Savior, and heavenly Father, we believe that this will bear eternal fruit- that generational curses will become generational blessings, restoring our families back to the way that You intended. 

We come into agreement as we read and speak this prayer out loud that this is a nation that is desperate not only for our earthly fathers to rise up to the challenge, but more importantly, that they need to follow You, Father, as their ultimate guide and example. It is in the wonderful, precious, and matchless name of Jesus Christ that we pray, Amen.  

A Father's Day Prayer of Blessing 

Dear Lord,

Bless every father and every grandfather with the best of your spiritual blessings today. Let him know he is not alone in the tasks you have given him to provide for and support those under his care. Show him how much you delight in his work, and affirm the value of whatever You have given him to do—both as a father or grandfather and as a child of Yours. Confirm his worth daily so he has no reason to doubt whether he is loved in the eyes of his Heavenly Father.

Create in him a deep sense of trust in You, knowing that He can count on You to help him lead and protect those dependent on him. Let him know that every unselfish act of love and encouragement he has offered has been a gift that You receive gladly. Show him how effective the prayers of a godly man really are, and what a difference he has and can make to those around him, no matter how big or small the assignment.

When challenging times push him beyond his limits, assure him that You can take Him further into the realm of possible impossibility. Speak deep into his spirit the powerful words he longs to hear from You—that nothing can ever separate him from Your love. Help him to grasp firmly the promises of Your Word, standing with faith on the things You declare are true. Reward him for his faithfulness past, present, and future, assuring him that true success and satisfaction don’t lie in his accomplishments or accolades, but in the steadfast, Christ-like character You are forming in him.

Demonstrate to him Your amazing grace and forgiveness as he seeks to love and to know you with all of his heart, soul, and mind. Release him from unwanted burdens of false guilt, and bless him for his willingness to keep short accounts with You, forgiving both himself and others. Help him to see his children or grandchildren through Your eyes, realizing that in Your hands is the safest place they can ever be. Strengthen his confidence in the Only One who can bring good out of any situation.

Teach him how to meet the needs of his childs life that are within his ability to do so, but help Him to trust You for the rest. Push out any needless fears, and grant to him godly wisdom and spiritual guidance to lead and direct those precious children in Your path, knowing he must also release them into Your hands with prayerful love.

Complete any healing of past hurts or regrets that may interfere with parenting or grand parenting his children. Build in him a sense of joy, humility, and playfulness that draw his family close. When plans don’t develop as he hopes, or dreams are not yet realized, open his eyes to see beyond this world to a greater joy that never disappoints, and to a Father who will never leave or abandon him or his loved ones.

Give him a passionate faith, a persevering spirit, and a powerful testimony that overcomes any weakness or doubt, as he wears the armor of God daily You have provided for him as a spiritual leader and child of God.

Today, on special days, and for all the days of his life, fill him with the best of Your blessings, so that one day he will stand before you and hear Your ultimate words of praise, “Well done, my son, well done!” In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (written by Rebecca Barlow Jordan)

A Father's Day Prayer for the Distant Father

Dear Lord, Help me to love my dad in a way that would bring honor to You and him. Help me to see beyond the external differences and into his eternal realm. Help me to live out “Love never fails” with my dad. Amen.

A Father's Day Prayer for Those Far From Their Dads

Father, praise You for our fathers here on earth. We know that you placed them perfectly and specifically in our lives. And though life doesn’t always look on this earth like we feel it should in our hearts, we trust Your perfect love, plan, and purpose for our lives. Thank You for our dads. Without them, we would cease to be. They are part of your plan for our lives. 

There are some of us who don’t know who are dads are, or have adopted dads that You have blessed our lives with. Still others of us mourn the complete loss of our fathers through death on this earth, and desperately need to be reminded of Your goodness, Lord. When Father’s Day reminds us of the gaping hole they have left in our hearts, heal any hurt that we harbor and help us extract all love from our relationship with them. 

Help us to find peace in Your will for our lives and their absence. In the ways of the world that we don’t understand, swoop in with Your Spirit and reminds that we don’t need to understand… and sometimes can’t. In our faith, we are called to trust You and Your love for us. Help us to fill in the gaps that we are incapable of. 

As much as we love our dads, miss our dads, look up to our dads, or feel bitterness, anger and resentment towards our dads… they are only people, just like us. They battle the same curse of sin that we do, and cannot be expected to be perfect. Whether we look to our fathers’ leadership in faith, or pray for their salvation, we have to release our judgement to You. 

Father, bless our dads today in a special way. Release them from any guilt they may harbor for mistakes they have made as parents, knowing we all travel that road as well. Bless and heal any heartaches or physical hurts that ail them. Lift their spirits as they miss us today, due to the space between us. Assure them that they hold a special place in our hearts, our lives, and Your love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Meg Bucher)

A Father's Day Prayer of Hope

Dear God, We thank you for the gift of Dads in this life. We thank you that you are the greatest Dad ever, Abba Father, and we know that you cover us in your great love.

We pray for your blessing, favor, and strength over every Dad in this world, for those who are seeking to walk closely with you in a dark world, and for those who just need to be reminded that you are real. We ask for your renewed courage, for your boldness, for your Spirit to fill them. Make them always aware and alert of the schemes of the enemy. We ask that you would keep their footsteps firm, and guard their way. We ask that you would help them to always stand strong, to be men of faith, to say “no” to what is wrong and to say “yes” to what is right. We ask that you would fill their hearts with love, compassion, joy, faithfulness, and cover their lives with great peace.

Lord, we pray that you would raise up mighty men, godly men, in this generation, those who would know and honor you with their entire lives. We pray that they would stand firm in the faith, walk wisely, and follow hard after you. May they grow in their love and passion for you, for their families, and in the calling to follow you above all else. Thank you for dads who fight for their families, who do battle in prayer over those they love.

Thank you God that your Word is true. We hold fast to you today, we choose to immerse our lives in your Truth. We know that you are with us always and cover us in your power and strength.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Debbie McDaniel)

A Father's Day Prayer to Our Heavenly Father

Heavenly Father, oh how I love You. Thank You for adopting me into Your family and making me Your child. Thank You for being my heavenly parent who loves me unconditionally, cares for me unendingly and provides for all my needs. I’m so blessed to be Your child. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Sharon Jaynes)

A Father's Day Prayer for a Growing Relationship with the Father

Dear heavenly Father, You’re perfect in all Your ways. Your Word says You are a loving father, and I long to know You that way. Only You know the gaps in our relationship based on my imperfect understanding of You. Please reveal them to me, and help me work through them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Glynnis Whitwer)

A Father's Day Prayer for Those Hurting on Father's Day

Lord, I lift up those who are hurting this Father’s Day. If they have lost their earthly fathers, I pray your Holy Spirit would comfort them, for you are the God of all comfort (1 Corinthians 1:3-5). If they have lost a child, I pray you wrap your arms around them and hold them. And Lord, if they didn’t have a father, would you continue to work in their lives and fill that void? You watch over them and understand their loss. 

You care about everything we care about (1Peter 5:7). Lord, if they have been abused by their father, I pray that you heal their hurts, for you are the God who heals. I also pray you help them so they don’t harbor bitterness. And that one day they can get to the place where they forgive their fathers. God, you are loving and kind and you promise you will work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

Thank you for being our Father. In Jesus' name, Amen. (Anne Peterson)

Father's Day Bible Verses

May these Bible verses for Father's Day provide inspiration and encouragement as you remind your dad how loved he is.

The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him. - Proverbs 23:24

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. - Psalm 127:3-5

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. - Proverbs 22:6

Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. - Proverbs 14:26

The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them. - Proverbs 20:7

Read more: 25 Inspiring Father's Day Bible Verses to Bless All Days

Matt Haviland writes at www.afatherswalk.org.