Father's Day 2025

Psalm 68:5–6 (NKJV) - 5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. 6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

Some of us never had a father at all; others had terrible fathers. Some of us had confusing fathers, good in some ways and bad in others. Even those of us with the best human fathers still experienced at least some level of imperfection. God is not like our earthly fathers; He is perfectly good, kind, gracious, gentle, loving, compassionate, forgiving, etc.

If we’ve never known the love of a good father, there’s great news! God Himself is our Father, and He is perfect.

He sets us in families, gives us a home and a place to belong! However, we have to live by His rules in His house or else dwell in a dry, barren land that is not a good home.

Psalm 103:13–14 (CSB) - 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. 14 For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.

God remembers that we are weak, frail, and temporary, like grass that grows today and is gone tomorrow. He has compassion on us, His children. He gives us mercy, grace, and love, even in the midst of correction and even chastening.

Matthew 7:7–11 (NKJV) - 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 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!

The comparison is from lesser to greater, i.e. from evil (us) to perfectly good (the Father). If the lesser does this good thing, then how much more the greater!

James 1:17 (NKJV) - 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Father of lights - the One who created the physical heavenly bodies as well as all spiritual light (because He alone is light).

1 John 1:5 (NKJV) - 5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

No variation or shadow - unlike physical celestial bodies, which cast shadows and eclipse one another, God’s light is perfect and unchanging.

Galatians 5:22–23 (NKJV) - 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

This is the nature of God, our Father. He is all of these things: loving, joyous, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, self-controlled.

Hebrews 12:3–13 (NKJV) - 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

God’s chastening and correction is absolutely necessary. It is proof that we are His children and a sign of His love and favor, not His animosity.

Children who are not corrected are not sons (heirs) but illegitimate (bastards).

What kind of father allows His child to run wild?

Human fathers chasten as seems best to them - regardless of the rightness or wrongness of the act; they do as they please. However, God chastens for our profit so that we may be like Him, partaking of His holiness.

The fruit of God’s chastening is good - peaceable and righteous. It trains us.

The outcome of this principle? Strength, not discouragement.

Ephesians 6:4 (NKJV) - 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Faithlife Study Bible - In first-century Greco-Roman society, fathers—as the head of the household—had complete authority within the household to administer discipline. Paul advises them to avoid exercising that authority in ways that might cause their children to harbor resentment. Paul is advocating for fathers treating their children with kindness, which would have been unexpected for Graeco-Roman society; he is arguing that parents treat their children as Christ would.

Provoke - irritate by vexatious commands, unreasonable blame, and uncertain temper, as doing so will discourage and confuse them, leading to instability and psychological problems

Colossians 3:21 (NKJV) - 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

Training - discipline

Admonition - training by words, whether of encouragement or correction as is needed

of the Lord - in the way that pleases Him and in the Spirit of God

The effects of fatherlessness:

Father absence is associated with lower grades and test scores, including double the chance to repeat a grade and higher dropout rates.

Children with involved fathers show better language development and higher cognitive competence.

Mental health: Adolescents from fatherless homes are significantly more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation.

Behavioral issues: Boys in particular are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior, while girls are at higher risk for early sexual activity and teen pregnancy.

Poverty risk: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, children in single-mother households are about five times more likely to live in poverty than those in married-couple families.

Children raised in neighborhoods with high rates of father absence had lower rates of upward mobility regardless of race.

Juvenile delinquency: 85% of youths in prison come from fatherless homes.

Gang involvement: A study from the National Gang Center found that boys raised without fathers are more likely to seek identity and protection in gang membership.

Marriage and family stability: Children raised without fathers are more likely to have nonmarital births themselves and to struggle in their own marriages.

Trust and authority: Absence of a father figure can erode trust in male authority figures and institutions, impacting social cohesion.

According to National Center for Fathering data, children living without their biological father are 70% more likely to engage in substance abuse.

The U.S. Department of Justice found that substance abuse is significantly more prevalent among incarcerated individuals who come from father-absent homes. A large portion of inmates reported early exposure to drugs and alcohol, correlating with family instability.

A 2004 study by Harper and McLanahan found that boys raised in single-mother households were more than twice as likely to end up incarcerated by their early 30s compared to peers raised in two-parent families. This held true even after controlling for income, race, and other risk factors.