Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24, NKJV

In Mark 9, we find the story of an unnamed father who feels utterly powerless to help his demon-possessed son.  The context and specifics may not be every father's story, but my guess is that every father still resonates with this feeling of helplessness.  Combine this with the unspoken expectation that dads can fix anything, and you've got a recipe for desperation, a quiet questioning about the effectiveness of one's fathering.  So with Father's Day just around the corner, let me share directly with dads just a few words of assurance and purpose from God's Word.  If you're not a dad, go ahead and keep reading for ideas about the kind of affirmation you might give to the fathers and father-figures in your life.

YOUR COMPASSION REFLECTS GOD'S LOVE

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. Psalm 103:13, NIV 

Some may think that real manhood shows up in a tough, unfeeling exterior, but the reality is that one of your God-given superpowers as a father is compassion -- a tender affection that reveals itself in concrete ways.  

When you use your strength to demonstrate deep love, you paint a picture of the God whose power isn't self-serving but is instead self-giving.

Just as God tenderly carried Israel from bondage to freedom (Deut. 1:31), your fatherly love can move your family toward security and safety like nothing else can.  It's not by coincidence that Psalm 103 makes this compassion comparison in the context of God's forgiveness that removes all uncertainty of our salvation.  This is why Jesus chooses to portray God's love through a father who is "filled with compassion" and runs to embrace his prodigal son (Lk. 15:20, NIV).  Fathers, when you have compassion on your kids, especially when they feel undeserving of it, you partner with God in assuring them that they belong to both their human family and the family of heaven.

YOU ARE A GIVER OF GOOD THINGS

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Matthew 7:11, NKJV

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus employs the metaphor of fatherhood to teach us something about prayer.  He touches on a father's natural willingness to give and provide, a priority that seems to be divinely inscribed in a father's DNA.  What I love about Jesus' description is that He highlights not only the capacity to give but also the capacity to listen well and be in tune with what your kids actually need.  Dads, you don't just provide anything.  You provide good things.  And that happens as you pay attention to your family's unique needs, as you listen, as you understand and respond accordingly.  

Through that kind of attentiveness, you end up giving more much than material presents; you give emotional presence.

When you listen like this and willingly respond to supply those needs, you demonstrate the Father's generosity, sensitivity, and ability to provide exactly what we need. 

YOU ARE MAKING DISCIPLES

For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, NIV

When the apostle Paul was looking for an effective way to describe his ministry efforts among the Thessalonians, he compared his work to that of a father.  Let that sink in for a bit.  You may not be a public evangelist, an itinerant preacher, or missionary to foreign lands.  But as a father, you are a disciple-maker.  Your interactions with your kids cover the whole spectrum of discipleship investment from encouraging to urging, from comfort to correcting.  

You are in prime position to pour into your family's growth and development not just for this life but for the life to come.  

Will there be times you're unsure of the impact you're making?  Of course.  Will there be seasons you feel powerless to help your family toward wholeness?  Absolutely.  But that helplessness didn't stop the unnamed father in Mark 9 from bringing his son to Jesus.  You may not always know what to say or how to direct your kids.  But ultimately, the best thing you can do as a father is bring your family to Jesus.  Bring your family to Jesus in prayer, in surrender, trusting their spiritual development to HIS power and not your own.

Dads, you've been entrusted with a high and holy calling.  And the God who calls you will be faithful to fulfill this calling through you.  "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it" (1 Thes. 5:24).  Thank you for bravely stepping into this role to reveal God's compassion, give provisions and presence, and make disciples right in your own home and beyond.