My Father's Day Prayer*

 


     We are praying that this is a precious Father's Day for all. It is my belief that, in view of the events in the Middle East and the signs of the end times around us, all prayer in the Body of Christ is essential. The importance of a father's prayers is presented in scripture.

     There was a king named Abimelech (meaning "My father is king") who took Sarah, thinking that Sarah was Abraham's sister rather than his wife. Abraham's name means "Father of a multitude." The LORD came to King Abimelech in a dream, saying: "Behold, thou art a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife...Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her." (Gen. 20:1-6, excerpt).

     The LORD prevented the king from touching Sarah, and warned him that he must return Sarah to Abraham: "Now therefore, restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine." (v. 7).

     The account continued as Abimelech did return Sarah to Abraham. "So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife." (v. 17-18).

     Neither of these men were Israelites, because Israel did not exist at this time. Both men came from heathen countries, with Abraham's family originally coming from Ur of the Chaldees. However, God knew both men and dealt with them according to His will, including the prayers of one man for the other.

     Upon the completion of the temple in Jerusalem, King Solomon prayed to the LORD and the temple, the house of God, was filled with the fire and glory of God. The LORD heard Solomon's prayer, and promised him: "If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually." (2 Chron. 7:1-3, 12-16).

     The temple which Solomon built was a fulfilment of the heart's desire and prayer of King David, Solomon's father, which God promised David that He would fulfill. (2 Chron. 6:17).

     We are the spiritual house of God, built of living stones. We are the place of His house to which God's eyes and ears are drawn, attendant upon our prayers to Him.

     David wrote in a psalm: "As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." (Ps. 55:16-17).  Considering all that is happening now, how many in the Body of Christ pray three times a day, as David did? In fact, we are told in scripture that we should be praying always, in a continuing attitude of prayer, as we will see.

     The prophet Daniel had enemies who looked for an opportunity to have him killed. Knowing that Daniel was a praying man, these enemies of Daniel's maneuvered the new king of the former Chaldean kingdom into signing a royal decree, "according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not," forbidding the petition of any God or man for thirty days except for petitioning the king. The penalty of disobeying this law would be to be cast into the den of lions.

     Daniel knew the danger presented to him by this decree, but "went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled down upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God and making supplication before his God. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God." (Dan. 6:1-11, excerpt).

     Even knowing of the death penalty of the irrevocable royal decree, especially knowing of it, Daniel still prayed diligently before God. God was his only Deliverer.

     Prayer is the ultimate weapon against the enemies and adversaries of God's people because God says He will hear. Although the king, who cared for Daniel, tried to deliver Daniel from this death sentence, but could not. The king had said to Daniel: "Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee." The LORD did keep Daniel alive in the lions' den.

     Peter gave this word to the believers in Christ: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your cares upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be diligent; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..." (1 Peter 5:6-8). We also have an adversary, Satan, who is always looking for an opportunity to destroy. The armor of God and the weapon of prayer are necessary at all times.

     Jesus told a parable of a woman who came before an unjust judge asking the judge to avenge her of her adversary. (Lk. 18:1-3). The judge ignored her requests, until her requests wearied the judge and, in order to quiet the widow and keep her from coming back, he avenged her. Jesus said: "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (v. 4-8).

     Always pray. Jesus connected prayer requests to God with faith and wondered if there would be any faith left on earth when He comes. What a condemnation of a prayerless people!

     As Jesus prophesied the signs of the end times and His return, He stressed the need for prayer. We see those signs all around us now as Israel deals with the nations around them, and as other signs in the heavens and on earth occur. (Lk. 21:25-28). Jesus said what we should be doing: "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (v. 29-36).

     We are the generation seeing all of these signs begin. Watch and pray always.

     Paul wrote to the churches concerning prayer:
  • "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant (constant) in prayer..." (Rom. 12:12)
  • "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit...watching...with supplication for all saints." (Eph. 6:18)
  • "...in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God...shall keep your hearts and minds..." (Phil. 4:6-7)
  • "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving...(Epaphras is) always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." (Col. 4:2, 12)
  • "Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thess. 5:17-18)
  • "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him..." (2 Thess. 1:11-12)
  • "Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you." (2 Thess. 3:1)
     As Jeremiah revealed, the LORD has made promises for our lives that He will fulfill, as He fulfilled His promise to return Israel to the land after their captivity. God assured them and us: "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with your whole heart." (Jer. 29:10-14, excerpt).

     To all of the fathers, and to those who have "fathered" others, although perhaps not biologically, few people are prepared for what's coming. We need to understand the importance of praying without ceasing and with thanksgiving in all things, in all circumstances.

*Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 6/15/25 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on the Facebook page of Kenneth E. Stevenson Jr. Dr. Stevenson's video messages are also found on You Tube at Kenneth Stevenson. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook. Also the book NAZAH: White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling is available on Amazon.

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