“And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.” (Leviticus 1:9b)

My best childhood friend in Mississippi was a great gal named Anne Rowell. She lived a few doors down from us, and I viewed her dad as the “barbecue king” of the neighborhood. 

On pleasant evenings, we knew when he cranked up his grill in their backyard—the tantalizing fragrances of his pork ribs basted in sweet-and-smoky sauce tormented us like siren songs. My dad was very good at making wonderful beef burgers and frying up fresh-caught fish on our grill, but Mr. Rowell’s pork wizardry topped all my notions of what grilling was supposed to be about. He took barbecue ribs into the spiraling heights of haute cuisine. 

Nowadays, my husband is the barbecue king of our backyard, and he can make ribs “sing,” too. Our daughter requested them earlier this month for her birthday dinner, and he was happy to comply.

There’s something about men and their grills…together, they can become a singular source of many happy memories for their families. 

My brothers’ recollections of Scouting include my dad’s leadership as their Scoutmaster. Dad would stand guard overnight at a giant cement-block barbecue pit where he and the other leaders smoked hundreds of pounds of pork shoulders once a year for troop fundraisers. My dad had built the pit, too. 

Besides creating memorable moments, working at a grill adds meaning to a family man’s leadership role.

If you look at the Levite priests in Bible days, they were the grill masters of the Israelites, first at the altar of the tabernacle and later at the temple. Their mission was to set fire to the sacrificed animal (no pork, mind you) and the grain/oil/incense/wine offerings. Depending on the type of sacrifice, the priests lifted up a sweet-smelling aroma for God and for those who lived in tents/homes not far away.

These Levites were the spiritual leaders for the Israelites. They prayed and sacrificed for the rest of the tribes, to atone for sins and also to celebrate important festivals. The priests were God’s servant-leaders, commissioned to be His representatives for blessing their nation.

Likewise, God calls men today to be His spiritual providers to their loved ones, for spiritual food as well as tangible sustenance. This provider role requires that men follow their heavenly Father—specifically in His role as Jehovah Jirah. Their responsibilities go far beyond being chief griller. Fathers/husbands on earth are tasked with leading their family members in prayer, taking them to church, counseling them with wisdom, and working hard to fulfill their material needs.

Ladies, let’s pray together for the men in our lives—our dads, brothers, husbands, sons, and more—as they carry the burden with us for being light and salt in our families. Let’s pray for their own spiritual needs to be met by our Lord, for His Holy Spirit to inspire them to grow in their faith.

Happy Father’s Day to all of our dads, including mine now who is rejoicing with his Savior in heaven.  Happy grilling this summer to all of our men!

Heavenly Father, thank You for being the source of life, joy, and wisdom for the men in my life. Thank You for giving them a special role of spiritual leadership for me and others in their sphere of influence. Please guide and direct them with Your purpose, Your provision, and Your strength. Make them men who follow in Your footsteps and trust in You. In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

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© Copyright 2023 Nancy C. Williams, Lightbourne Creative (text and photography)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.To learn more about the grace of Jesus Christ, go to this page: https://lightbournecreative.com/good-news-for-you/