PRAY WITH US about turning fathers’ hearts: Father God, we thank You for the great Father’s love You have shown to us. When we lived our own lives far apart from You, You still so loved us that You gave us Your Son. How great is that love, that You call us Your very own sons and daughters too!
You designed us to desire the love of a natural father. And you designed fathers to love and care for their children. So forgive both fathers and children for turning away from one another. Forgive us for looking for love in the wrong places. Your love can turn the most distant deadbeat dad to go home to his children. And turn the most prodigal son to go home to His dad. So provide a welcome that will keep them united, and growing in Your love. Most of all, spare us from the curse of a divided family, which will not stand when the Day of the Lord comes. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PRAYER ALERT: Turning Fathers’ Hearts to the Next Generation
It may surprise you to see who God will use to turn the hearts of fathers and children to each other in Malachi 4:5-6. He uses Elijah. Elijah wasn’t even a father physically. And he didn’t act like a very good father spiritually. He consistently tried to avoid Elisha and the bands of prophets that sought to emulate him (1 Kgs. 19; 2 Kgs. 2).
Why would God choose Elijah—or those coming in the spirit of Elijah—to reconcile fathers and children? Because He wants to show that even the most distant deadbeat dad can have his heart turned to love and care for his kids.
Just look at the condition of our kids today in Belize. That should be enough to turn our hearts. Fatherless boys are more likely to fail in school. They will tend to turn to drugs and gangs and crime, and spend time in jail.
Fatherless girls are more likely to become unwed mothers. They will tend to raise their kids in poverty and fatherless homes. Then the cycle continues. But many Belizean kids say the worst of their problems are depression and suicidal thoughts. That’s what the Department of Youth Services found out. And it’s offering them free counseling.
But we can’t expect the hearts of government to turn to the children, or stop the cycle of fatherlessness. The hearts of fathers must do that. So let’s reduce the social distance between fathers and children. That’s the context that God chose to show His Fatherly love.
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