{"id":2177,"date":"2025-06-12T20:25:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T00:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/electiadeoexperience\/?p=2177"},"modified":"2025-06-13T20:30:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T00:30:20","slug":"psalm-2710-a-fathers-day-prayer-for-the-fatherless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/electiadeoexperience\/2025\/06\/psalm-2710-a-fathers-day-prayer-for-the-fatherless\/","title":{"rendered":"Psalms 27:10: A Father\u2019s Day Prayer for the Fatherless"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Psalms 27:10 can help someone smile, like this child, though they are fatherless. | Photo courtesy of Terricks Noah<\/a> on Unsplash.\u00a0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
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Holding on to Psalms 27:10<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

My Experience with Fatherlessness<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Psalms 27:10 is a scripture that comes to mind every year around this time. The reason is that Father\u2019s Day occurs on the third Sunday in June.<\/span><\/p>\n

Honestly, this is a bittersweet day for me. On one hand, I get to celebrate the men who make an effort to be present in their child or children\u2019s lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, it\u2019s a difficult day because I do not have a present father in my life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This difficulty is amplified as someone who does not know or have a relationship with my biological dad. I\u2019ve also been adopted twice and experienced being abandoned by two different men who failed to act like good fathers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a child, their abandonment made me question why they didn\u2019t think I was worthy of their presence and love. To this day, I struggle with wondering who I\u2019d be if one of those three men had remained committed to their responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, Psalms 27:10 proves true as I have grandfathers, a stepdad, brothers, uncles, cousins, and mentors who fill this void. They also inspire me to become the good example I wish I had learned from a father.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, not everyone processes fatherlessness from a positive perspective. Knowing this, I\u2019d like to reveal the impact of absent fathers and offer a prayer for the fatherless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But first, let\u2019s examine Psalms 27:10 in its proper context and highlight the historical significance of Father\u2019s Day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What did David Mean?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Psalms <\/span><\/i>27:10 in Its Proper Context<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Psalms 27:10 (NRSV<\/span><\/a>) says, \u201cIf my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.\u201d The New Living Translation<\/a> simplifies this as David declares that the Lord will hold him close if his parents abandon him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While there may have been seasons David felt alone, there is no proof his parents ever abandoned him. In fact, he makes this poetic declaration during a time when he protects his parents by sheltering them with<\/span> King Moab<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scholars suggest <\/span><\/a>David makes this declaration to express his confidence in God\u2019s ability to deliver him from trouble. <\/span>They also believe <\/span><\/a>this statement shows that, though his parents love him, the Heavenly Father\u2019s care is greater.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Historical Significance of Father\u2019s Day\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Honor Birthed out of Tragedy\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

While our Heavenly Father\u2019s care exceeds human compassion, some situations cause us to question his love. This may have been the case for West Virginia residents in December 1907, during the tragic loss of 362 coal miners<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, God uses the tragedy to prove Psalms 27:10 and Romans 8:28<\/a> true, bringing the community closer together to honor the beloved coal miners. A West Virginia Church initiated this unity the following summer by hosting a service in their honor.<\/span><\/p>\n

The service was a one-time event, but it was the first occasion resembling what we now know as Father\u2019s Day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sonarah Smart Dodd and William Smart<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Ironically, the establishment of Mother\u2019s Day in 1908 inspired Sonarah Smart Dodd<\/a> to advocate for a special day dedicated to celebrating Fathers. Dods wanted to honor her Father, William Smart, after attending one of the first Mother\u2019s Day services in Spokane, Washington.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

William Smart<\/a> was a widower and single dad who had 14 children from two marriages. He was also a Civil War Veteran<\/a> who served for both the Union and Confederate armies at different times during the war. <\/span><\/p>\n

This happened as a survival tactic after being captured while driving a supply wagon for the Confederate Army.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While unsure about Dodd\u2019s religious beliefs, I\u2019m sure she understood the importance of honoring your parents<\/a> and praising others<\/a>. This is because she praises her Father for brilliantly handling his responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her devotion led her to ask her church (which held the first Father\u2019s Day service on June 19, 2010) to participate in celebrating fathers. Dodd\u2019s devotion also motivated her to spend the remainder of her life striving to make Father\u2019s Day an official day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sadly, Dodd didn\u2019t experience the full reward of her labor. She died six years before President Richard Nixon declared the third Sunday in June Father\u2019s Day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Struggling to Trust the Heavenly Father<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

The <\/span><\/i>Father\u2019s Promises<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0Dodd\u2019s story reminds Christians that when God gives us a burden, we must faithfully complete the work regardless of the results. We must abound in God\u2019s work, trusting that our labor is not in vain.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, no matter what circumstances arise in our lives, we must believe God is our good Father <\/span>who promises to <\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n