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Family worship - is it important? |
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Written by Dr. Jono de Hoog
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 We all know that ‘children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward’ ( Psalm 127:3), and that as parents seeking to be obedient to God our Father we are to diligently teach our little ones that above all else they are to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might’ ( Deuteronomy 6:7). But how are we to do this on a daily basis?
One of the great practices of Christians throughout the ages has been family worship. Not some cold, dead, boring, being-hit-over-the-head with the bible type family worship that the very words seem to conjure up; but a time of godly instruction, a time of talking to our children, a time where we can all gather around God’s word to receive more of our daily bread, a time where we as a family (children included) can pray to God, and a time where we can sing. In short, this is a part of the day that provides a distinct period of time where we rejoice in God’s goodness to us, his continual gracious provision and our continual necessity to rest securely in Him and in Him alone.
So how do we even begin to contemplate gathering together for a longer time than a few verses of bible reading, tacked on at the end of the day whilst the children squirm, wriggle and are generally disruptive? The first step is to do exactly that; contemplate it. Of course our little ones will be disruptive and wriggle and squirm and want to do everything but listen to the bible. Their little nature’s would have it no other way. But the importance lies in seeing past it. Don’t let them discourage you from instructing them about the greatest and most important element to both your lives. Rather, use the time as a training ground; a training ground for obedience, for listening, for sitting quietly, for sitting still and above all else, for training them in their entire worldview, which will shape their lives.
In addition, remember that we are not skilled as a generation in family worship. We do not have the experience of years guiding us into what is most effective for us, and for our children. But that does not matter. For God knows our feeble frame, and will guide and strengthen us as we seek to follow after Him. Remember to be flexible in your approach. Do not be ‘iron clad’ in rigidity in following a standard pattern; do not be a disciplinarian when it is hours past a child’s bed time; rather plan your worship time effectively, have a pattern that your regularly follow, father’s instruct your household with patience, involve your little children in worship time, (be that in prayer, or the call to worship, or in song for example), and above all else, be diligent and faithful in making it a priority for your family. Our family sees more and more the blessing that God outpours in this small time spent communally together; we see our toddler learning about God, we see him learning small pieces of the Bible, we see him having learnt to sit quietly, we see him gradually learning to sit still, we see his heart turn to God in a toddler way and we as a family give praise to God for his goodness to us. Be encouraged to take time out every day to pursue worshipping God as a family.
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