The Power of Family Worship

“But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Are you a family that does things together? One of the instructions God has given us as a family is to talk about His Word together, pray and worship Him together.

It is our God given role as parents to pass on the faith to our children. If the Church helps, that’s great! But the primary responsibility rests on us as parents, as God shows us in His Word.

“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.” Deuteronomy 11:18-21.

While it may come naturally to you as a parent to pray for your children, this is an encouragement to take it a step further and pray with your children too.

My husband and I recently attended a workshop led by Steve Demme called Family Worship U-See. Steve is the author of various books including ‘Family Worship’, the creator of Math-U-See and the founder of Building Faith and Families. We were reminded that having a family altar, a regular time and place to worship, pray and read God’s Word together as a family is not only vital to us passing on our faith, but it builds strong relationship bonds within the family as we seek God as a unit. Like Steve likes to say, a family that stays together, stays together.

Family worship will look different at different stages of your family life and in different seasons. From the toddler years when they are just happy to be there and can feel the love and warmth of loved ones, to the elementary years and beyond when they can actively participate in reading and discussing Bible passages with you.

Some days it will look like 10 minutes of going through the motions because everyone caught a cold and is groggy and other days you will lose track of time as you enjoy singing hymn after hymn, playing Bible games like draw your sword or read along and delving deep into Bible study. The key is that we keep our daily appointment with God as a family, showing that He has priority in our lives. These habits and rhythms that our children grow up with will be hard to shake as adults. And that is exactly the point. Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Timothy’s mother and grandmother are great examples of the eternal benefits that passing on our faith from one generation to another will have. Paul testifies to this in 2 Timothy 1:5, I remember your sincere and unqualified faith [the surrendering of your entire self to God in Christ with confident trust in His power, wisdom and goodness, a faith] which first lived in [the heart of] your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am confident that it is in you as well.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Timothy’s Mum and Grand Ma were diligent in teaching him the Holy Scriptures from infancy. This shows us that our children are never too young to be part of family worship. Even babies in the womb can be filled with the Holy Spirit, like John the Baptist was. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. Luke 1:15.

It is possible to make studying God’s Word and praying together as a family a daily part of your home. Even just the simple act of reading the Scriptures out loud together allows God’s words to take root, and His Holy Spirit to minister to the whole family. Be encouraged in knowing that when you take even the smallest steps to disciple and steward your children, God does much more than we could have ever imagined!

We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might, and the wonders that He has done. Psalm 78:4.