Prayer for dads

Father, You told Your people to keep the fire burning on the altar every single day. The priest had to add wood each morning, even when no one was watching. My private prayer is like that. Nobody at work knows whether I prayed today. Nobody at the dinner table will know either, unless something about me is different.

It is easy to let it go out. Three skipped mornings turn into a skipped week. By the second week it does not feel like anything is missing, until I notice my temper is shorter and my patience is thinner and the noise in my head is louder.

So help me keep it lit, Lord. Even ten minutes. A psalm, a prayer, a request for the day. I need the daily wood more than I need a big show.

Lord Jesus, You prayed at dawn and You prayed alone. Pull me into that same quiet faithfulness. Let what happens in secret change how I live in the open.

Amen.