A prayer for your dad asks God to bless your father with health, strength, protection, a long life and happiness, and thanks God for the gift of him. You can pray it on an ordinary morning, on his birthday or Father’s Day, or when he is sick or in hospital.
Below are short prayers for your dad, prayers for his health and healing when he is sick, for his strength, for a long life, for his happiness and peace, a daughter’s and a son’s prayer, good morning and birthday prayers, a Father’s Day prayer, a prayer to St. Joseph, and prayers for a difficult relationship or a father who has died.
How this page is labeled: prayers marked Traditional come from Scripture or long Christian use. All other prayers were written by the Holy Land Prayer team. Scripture quotations are from the NIV.
Short Prayers for My Dad
One line each, to pray in a moment or send in a message.
- Lord, bless my father today and give him strength for everything he carries.
- Father in heaven, watch over my dad and keep him safe.
- Jesus, give my father good health and a long life.
- God, fill my dad’s heart with peace and happiness today.
- Lord, thank You for my dad. Help me honor him.
- Holy Spirit, be my father’s comfort and his joy.
A Prayer for My Dad’s Health
Heavenly Father, I pray for my dad’s health. Keep his body strong and his mind clear. Protect his heart, his lungs and every part of him from illness. Give him good sleep, good appetite and the energy to enjoy his days. Guide him to take care of himself, and bless every doctor who looks after him. Thank You for every healthy year You have given him, and I ask You for many more. Amen.
A prayer for my father’s health and long life
Lord, keep my father healthy and give him a long life. Let his later years be full of good days, good company and faith that grows deeper with time. Amen.
Prayers for My Sick Dad and His Healing
When your father is ill, in hospital or facing surgery, these prayers are for that hard stretch.
Lord Jesus, my father is sick and I am afraid for him. You healed so many who came to You; I bring him to You now. Take away his pain, give his doctors wisdom and skill, and let the treatment work. Heal him if it is Your will. Give him courage in the hospital, and give our family patience and unity as we care for him. Amen.
A prayer for my dad in hospital
Father, my dad is in a hospital bed tonight, and I cannot fix this. Be in that room with him. Ease his pain, let him sleep, and surround him with kind nurses and careful doctors. Let the tests come back better than we feared, and bring him home to us soon. Amen.
A prayer for my dad before surgery
Lord, tomorrow my father goes into surgery. Calm his fears tonight. Guide the surgeon’s hands, protect him under anesthesia, and bring him safely through. Let him wake to good news and recover quickly. Amen.
A prayer for my dad’s recovery
Lord, thank You for bringing my dad through the worst of it. Now heal him fully. Rebuild his strength day by day, protect him from setbacks, and give him patience when recovery feels slow. Amen.
See also Prayers for the Sick, Prayers for Surgery and Bible Verses for Healing.
A Prayer for My Dad’s Strength
Lord, my father has carried so much for so long: for his work, for our family, for me. Give him strength now. Strength in his body when he is tired, strength in his mind when he is worried, and strength in his faith when life is hard. When he feels he has to be strong for everyone, let him lean on You. Renew his strength like the eagle’s. Amen.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)
A Prayer for My Dad’s Long Life
Father, I am not ready to imagine life without my dad. Give him a long life, if it is Your will, and fill his years with health and purpose. Let him see his children and grandchildren grow, and let us have many more birthdays, dinners and ordinary days together. Whatever time we have, help me use it well: to say thank you, to say I love you, and to make peace where it is needed. Amen.
With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.Psalm 91:16 (NIV)
A Prayer for My Dad’s Happiness and Peace
Lord, I pray for my dad’s happiness. Give him joy in small things: good food, good friends, a quiet morning, a game, a laugh with his family. Lift any loneliness or worry he hides from us. Where he carries regrets, give him Your forgiveness and peace. Let him know he is loved, by You and by us, and let that make him glad. Amen.
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.Numbers 6:24 to 26 (NIV)
A Daughter’s Prayer for Her Father
Heavenly Father, thank You for my dad. He worked hard for us and loved us more than he ever said out loud. Look after him now. Keep his body healthy and his mind at peace, and give him good days to enjoy. Where he’s tired, give him rest. Where he’s lonely, send people to him, and remind me to call. Amen.
A daughter’s prayer for her sick father
Lord, my dad held my hand when I was small. Now I am holding his. Heal him, Lord. Give him back his strength and his smile, and give me the courage to be strong for him the way he was always strong for me. Amen.
A Son’s Prayer for His Father
Lord, I thank You for my father and for everything he taught me, even the lessons I only understood later. Give him strength as he grows older, and help me to carry some of what he used to carry for me. Bless his work, his rest and his faith, and make me the kind of son who honors him. Amen.
Good Morning Prayers for Dad
- Good morning, Dad. Praying God gives you health, strength and a peaceful day.
- Lord, as my dad starts his day, go before him and keep him safe.
- Father, give my dad energy for today and joy in whatever it brings.
Lord, thank You for waking my dad this morning. Bless his day: his health, his work or his rest, every person he meets and every road he travels. Let him feel Your presence and know he is loved. Amen.
A Birthday Prayer for My Dad
Lord, today is my dad’s birthday, and I thank You for another year of his life. Thank You for his love, his work and his example. Bless the year ahead with good health, strength, happiness and peace. Give him many more birthdays, and let each one find him closer to You and surrounded by family. Amen.
A birthday message you can send: “Happy birthday, Dad. I thank God for you today and pray for your health, happiness and many more years together.”
A Father’s Day Prayer
Lord, it’s Father’s Day, and we’re thinking about our dads. Thank You for the ones who worked hard, showed up and kept going when it was tough. Bless the dads who are with us today. And be close to everyone who misses a father this year, or never really had one. Amen.
A Prayer for an Elderly Father
God of comfort, my dad is growing older and more frail. Help us make good decisions about his care, to be gentle with him and with each other, and to use the time we have well. Keep his mind at peace and his faith strong. Protect his dignity, ease his aches, and let him never feel like a burden. Amen.
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)
A Prayer for My Father’s Protection
Almighty God, protect my father wherever he goes today: on the road, at work and at home. Keep him from accidents and harm, from dishonest people and from bad news. Send Your angels to guard him, and bring him safely home. Amen.
A Catholic Prayer to St. Joseph for My Father
St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is the patron saint of fathers, workers and families, and of a peaceful death.
St. Joseph, you protected and provided for the Holy Family. Pray for my father. Ask God to give him health, strength and a long life, to bless his work and his rest, and to keep him close to Jesus and Mary all his days. Amen.
More at Prayer to St. Joseph.
A Prayer for a Difficult Relationship With My Father
Lord, You know the history between me and my father, the hurt as well as the love. Heal what is broken between us. Help me to forgive what needs forgiving, to say what needs saying, and to set wise boundaries where I need them. Soften both our hearts while there is still time. Amen.
A Prayer for a Father Who Has Died
Eternal rest grant unto my father, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Thank You for the life he lived and the love he gave. Comfort me and all who miss him, and bring us together again in Your kingdom. Amen.
More on our Prayers for the Dead page.
What the Bible Says About Fathers
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.Exodus 20:12 (NIV)
Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.Proverbs 23:22 (NIV)
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.Psalm 103:13 (NIV)
Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.Proverbs 17:6 (NIV)
When and How to Pray for Your Father
Pray for your dad on his birthday, on Father’s Day, before a hospital appointment, or simply whenever he comes to mind. Name what he needs: his health, his strength, a worry he is carrying. If he is open to it, tell him you are praying for him, or pray with him; many fathers are moved to hear it.
Questions People Ask
What is a good short prayer for my dad?
“Lord, bless my father today, keep him safe and give him health, strength and peace.” Short prayers said often are as real as long ones.
How do I pray for my dad’s health?
Thank God for the health he has, then ask for protection from illness, strength for his body and mind, and wisdom for the doctors who care for him. Pray for good habits too, like rest and regular checkups.
How do I pray for my sick father?
Pray for his healing, for his doctors, for his comfort and courage, and for your family as you care for him. The prayers above can be said in the hospital or at home.
Is there a prayer for my father’s long life?
Yes. You can ask God plainly for a long and healthy life for your father, as in the prayer above. Psalm 91:16 (“With long life I will satisfy him”) is often prayed for parents.
Which saint do you pray to for your father?
St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is the patron saint of fathers and families.
Can I pray for a father who has passed away?
Yes. Christians pray for the dead, commending them to God’s mercy, and give thanks for their lives.
Send a Prayer for Your Father to Jerusalem
For a father who is ill, far away, hard to reach or already gone, a prayer in Jerusalem can be a way of honoring him. Write yours in the form at the top of this page. It is printed and placed in one of the chapels of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a priest prays it in English, and a candle is lit on your behalf. Photographs of your prayer and the candle are emailed to you.
More prayers: Prayers for Mom, Prayers for Our Family, Prayers for a Husband and Prayers for Good Health.
