Dads
Dad's Prayer for August 20th
A short, Scripture-shaped dads prayer for an ordinary moment of Christian faith.
The prayer
A prayer to pray now
Father, David, in 2 Samuel 23:1 was Your sweet psalmist. He was also an adulterer. His family fell apart. He had blood on his hands. The Bible does not hide that. It puts it all in the same story.
That is a relief. I am not David, but I am also not the clean version of myself I show at church. The man You are using is the real one. The one with a memory. The one with regrets. The one still working on old patterns. You do not need me to be clean first.
So here is the whole man today. The kind father. The impatient husband. The careful coworker. The late-night doomscroller. The guy who just prayed this prayer. All of it. You know how to hold it together.
Lord Jesus, You took on a real human body. You can handle a real human man. Use this whole one this week, rough parts and all.
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.
Now these are the last words of David.
2 Samuel 23:1
Questions about this prayer
When should I pray dad's prayer for august 20th?
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 2 Samuel 23:1. 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.