Psalm 107
June 20, 2021 – Father’s Day
Gracious Father, we thank You that You are the one who rescues. All of us have stories, like the psalmist, of times that we were overwhelmed or in despair and You came through. And all of us were drowning in our sins and unable to save ourselves and You stepped in. May we be a people who frequently celebrate and proclaim Your steadfast love and goodness and the many ways You have redeemed us.
Forgive us, Lord, that even though we acknowledge You as the only Savior, we still most frequently act as if we are our own saviors. We trust our wisdom and experience—and even our gut instincts—more than we trust Your revealed Word. We count on our planning, hard work, and relationships for the things we are convinced we need, evidenced by how little time we spend in prayer for those things. We confess, Father, that our faith is small and ask that You would continue to refine us and grow us into a people who live in awe-filled worship and grateful dependence on Your unshakable goodness.
On this Father’s Day we are also thankful that You are our perfect Father. You welcome us as Your children and love us unconditionally. You teach and correct us with gentleness and patience and always for our good. You rejoice over us with singing!
We thank You for the human fathers who have demonstrated a tangible expression of You to us through their love, care, and wisdom. We lift up those fathers currently parenting young children and ask that You provide an abundance of patience, energy, and love. We pray for fathers of teenagers and ask for deep connections, for discernment, and for joy. We pray for those fathering adult children, that you give them wisdom and grace to navigate those relationships. We pray for those whose relationships with their fathers or their children is strained or who are no longer with them, and we pray for comfort and courage. You, Lord, are Father to the fatherless and the Perfect Father for those whose earthly fathers have not loved and led in Your image.
This morning wee lift up those who do not yet know You as Rescuer or Father. Give us opportunities to tell our stories and share the joy that we have found in knowing You.
As our search team begins to go through names and applications for a new pastor, we ask for Your Spirit’s leading and for clarity and unity on the team. We pray that you would place someone here who can lead and shepherd well, whose heart is close to yours and with whom we can all grow in grace, community, and mission.
We pray this in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and all God’s people said, Amen.