Jesus on earth taught His disciples to pray to the Father. It is rich in implication about the kind of rich and intimate relationship we can have with the heavenly Father.

This message is for all father’s who are weary or have abdicated the role of the father in their family for various reasons or circumstances.

The purpose:
Use this lockdown and season of the pandemic has an opportunity for reset and regain the intended position of being a father in the family.

John 21: 11-13
This passage is know as the restoration of Peter after his denial of Jesus.

Peter was restless and mulling over his disappointments. He was fishing but caught nothing. Jesus came and told them to cast the net on the other side and they caught fish.

Jesus had already prepared the fire and fish for breakfast and invited them to bring their catch.

Jesus was setting up this moment to remind Peter of his calling and to recommission him. He restored Peter on many levels.

Jesus reminded him to focus on the things he was called to after recommissioning him.

The Lord can restore and recommission fathers again, regardless of what has happened before.

Sometimes it is our self sufficiency or prideful missteps that lead us wrongly and astray. We need God to restore us as fathers.

Peter knew what restoration meant.
In 1 Peter 5:5, Peter, now wiser, says humility is the place where restoration begins. God will take care of us and look after for us.

How do we as fathers use this season of the pandemic to reset our intended position as fathers?

1. Be an attuned father. The father needs to have consistent and truth based leadership for the family, by the leading of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. (2 Peter 3:17 -18, 2 Peter 1: 5-8)

2. Be an affirmative father. Fathers need to find new ways and words to affirm and build up those most precious to him. (Ephesians 4: 29 - 32, Colossians 3:21, Ephesians 6:4)

3. Be an adaptive father. In a world of fast change, each generation will have unique characteristics and traits. Fathers need to move with or even ahead of each new wave of change, empathizing with the unique challenges and characteristics of each new generation. (Joshua 1: 7-9, Joshua 3: 2-5) Be courageous and confident in the Lord when making decisions and new changes, being still before the Lord to seek new strategies and making decisions for these changes. He will provide unexpected resources as we seek Him to make those decisions. (Isaiah 43: 18-20, Habakkuk 2: 1-3)

We as fathers need the support of other pastors and Godly fathers as part of this journey. We can be confident that God can restore us as fathers, much like Peter. We only need to know what tripped us up and move forward and follow Jesus. Come back to the simple focus of Jesus.

It is also a family affair to help in the restoration of the fathers leadership in the family. Let us support the restoration and revival of the heads of the family and consequently, the families in turn.