¹¹ “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? ¹² Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! ¹³ So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Luke 11:11-13

Dear God, I assume this verse of the day from Bible Gateway is given today as a preparation for Father’s Day. Is it for those who maybe have father issues and a reminder for them that you are a better father than their earthly fathers? Is that why the person at Bible Gateway chose it?

I was speaking with someone yesterday about how difficult Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be for some people. Some don’t celebrate it at all because of the pain they feel. Maybe they have an estranged relationship with a parent or child. Maybe they had the loss of a parent or child. Whatever the case may be, as I’ve gotten older I’ve started to realize that the number of people who struggle on some of these holidays might be as great or greater than those who sink into the joy of them. For myself, I certainly used to sink into the joy of it, but the last few years only really bring pain. So how do I deal with that pain? It’s a question I’ve asked myself before. The best answer I’ve come up with is to take my eyes off of myself on those days, pray for others who might also be experiencing pain, and worship you.

Father, that’s probably the answer every day. 1.) Take my eyes off of myself. 2.) Pray for others experiencing pain. 3.) Worship you. Not necessarily in that order. So I will start with that this morning. I have some family and friends who are going through different trials this very morning. Please be with them and help them. Heal where healing needs to happen. Comfort where comfort needs to happen. Help them all to draw close to yourself. Love them completely and well. Help everyone who comes into contact with their situations, from family, to friends, to doctors, be touched by you and drawn into closer fellowship and communion with you. I pray for the family of a woman I know who died on Sunday. Such a sweet woman of 92. Help her children to heal. Help her friends to heal. Her loss will be felt by a lot of people. And help me to be exactly who you need me to be today for others. Be glorified, oh Lord. You are amazing, God. You are amazing.

I offer all of this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen