Prayer for dads

Father, You say in Isaiah 49:16 that You have engraved me on the palms of Your hands. Not written in pencil. Not something that can be erased. Cut in deep. That image stays with me. Those hands were later pierced for me.

I do not always feel held that closely. Some weeks I feel like one small thing on a long list. But Your Word says I am not. Your love was carved into Christ's hands for me. That is not just a picture. That is real.

Carry me today. Through the meeting that feels too big. Through the moment with my child when I do not know what to say. Through the quiet loneliness when nobody else sees what I am carrying.

I am held. Your hands are real. My name is in them.

Lord Jesus, You bear the wounds for me. Let that truth sink in and steady me. I am not forgotten. I am engraved.

Amen.