Dear Lord,
As I sit here gazing at this newest and most special blessing You’ve bestowed upon me, my heart is overwhelmed with joy.
Thank You for blessing us with Emery. For allowing her to be healthy and strong. For giving my wife the strength to carry and birth her, for empowering the medical staff to deliver her, for granting us the ability to provide for her, and for blessing our family with the utmost support in every way imaginable. You Lord have blessed us far more than we could ever deserve.
With all You’ve given us God, it seems selfish–if not outright greedy–to ask for more. But You Lord tell us to continually ask as long as we do so in Your Name.
Therefore God, I ask…
I ask that You give her mother and me the wisdom, strength, patience, and fortitude to raise Emery how You would have us raise her. For her to be a woman of God who loves You and follows You no matter how challenging and difficult it may seem. May she put her trust in You God.
I ask that You give her strength God. Strength to overcome life’s challenges that’ll be sure to come. Strength to put others before herself in a society that increasingly puts the self above all else. Strength to stand up when she needs to stand up and to sit down when she is called to sit down. And strength to overcome any sufferings she endures as she recognizes that You Lord experienced great suffering and overcame.
I ask that You bless others who come to know her God. May You surround her with strong, godly friends who will support her and help her be her best. May you allow her to be a blessing to those she comes in contact with–both the friendly and the unfriendly. May you allow her to be a great light that brings many to know You in an ever-growing dark world.
I ask that you give her a fulfilling and rich life. May she experience great joy, deep love, and powerful relationships. May she be allowed to explore creation and experience life’s beauty to the maximum degree. Most importantly, may she come to fulfill Your will for her Lord using the gifts and passions You’ve bestowed upon her to live to her fullest.
I ask that you allow Alyssa and I to do right by her God. To support and advocate for her in every way. To provide her the space and freedom she needs to pursue her dreams as well as the boundaries and discipline required for her to be successful. To smother her with hugs and kisses unconditionally while at the same time teaching her to be accountable for her actions and never be too good to say “I’m sorry.”
Selfishly God, I ask that I have the opportunity to be with her–to hold her hand, play with her, dance with her, wipe her tears when she cries, embrace her when she rejoices, and always be her #1 fan. To watch her learn and grow into a great young woman who loves life and is a blessing to others. To be there on her wedding day giving her away to a God-fearing man worthy of her love. To someday hold her own children in my arms as she prays a similar prayer on their behalf to You O God.
And please Lord, when she comes to learn the truth about me–that Daddy is in fact not Superman but a broken sinner who left to his own abilities will inevitably let her down–empower in her the assurance that her Heavenly Father always comes through as You are far greater than Superman–You’re her perfect Savior who will NEVER let her down.
Once again Lord, I thank you for our Emery. I promise as her father to always treasure her for the special gift that she is and do my best to protect her, support her, and build her up to the highest of my abilities.
What a blessing she is O God. May her story make Your Name Great.
Amen
Brady Hammond 