Dads
Dads Prayer for May 4th
A short, Scripture-shaped dads prayer for an ordinary moment of Christian faith.
The prayer
A prayer to pray now
Father, I know I make idols out of good things. I do not carve them from wood. I carve them from titles. Provider. Successful man. Good father. They look respectable, but they are still idols. Take them down. Show me which of my hard drives is really just feeding an idol instead of loving the people in front of me. My kids do not need a successful man. They need a present one. My wife does not need a provider in the abstract. She needs me, the real husband. Replace the fake gods with You. Then let me get back to the work in front of me, lighter and freer, not weighed down by what I was trying to be.
Amen.
How to pray it
- Read it slowly. Move through this prayer one line at a time, out loud if you can, letting each phrase land before the next.
- Make it personal. Pause where a line meets your day and name the person, fear, or hope it touches before God.
- Carry it with you. Keep one sentence with you — on your phone or in your pocket — and return to it when the day gets loud.
Verses to pray
Pray these slowly, one line at a time. Scripture quoted from a public-domain translation.
Should a man make to himself gods
Jeremiah 16:20Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
1 John 5:21
Questions about this prayer
When should I pray dads prayer for may 4th?
Pray it whenever the words fit your moment — at the start of the day, in a hard stretch, or when you simply want to turn toward God.
Which Bible verses anchor this prayer?
This prayer is anchored in Jeremiah 16:20, 1 John 5:21. The "Verses to pray" section above quotes them in full.
Can I save or share this prayer?
Yes. Use the Copy prayer button to copy the words, or open the Chosen Portion app to keep a daily prayer, devotional, and Scripture with you.