Honor your father ….that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
Exodus 20:12
One news station has called fatherlessness the biggest epidemic in America. According to the National Census Bureau, 18.3 million children in the US live in households without a father. This is 1 in every 4 children. The situation is dire, and the sirens are blaring loud and clear. The family is under Satanic attack, perhaps because it is the place where God’s word and Christian teaching is best passed on from one generation to the next.
It is no secret that fatherlessness can negatively affect children. Consider these statistics: 71% of high school dropouts, 66% of juveniles in state custody, 90% of runaways and 85% of youths in prison are fatherless. Therefore today, we thank God for all the fathers who stayed and those who persevered, fathers who mentored and coached not just their children, but every child they were privileged to know. We thank God for every father-figure who did the best they knew how to do in raising their children. Today, we salute you and wish you a truly Happy Fathers Day.
Today, let us also take time to pray and fast for those fathers who fell short and continue to fall short. God is not done with them yet. Let us pray that while they are still alive they will find the courage to make amends and repair bridges for the sake of their children and for the sake of future generations of their families and church.
But most importantly, let us thank God, our Almighty Father, for his unfailing love, steadfast support and eternal promises to us all. He is the Father who never wavers, he never fails, and is the One who guarantees our hope of his glory. AMEN.