Dear Christian Family, Are You Doing Family Worship?
I want to introduce you to a practice that has changed my life and my family’s life. This spiritual discipline has changed our lives because it has helped us read more Bible, thereby understanding and living out more Bible. It has also helped us to love God and people more. It’s called family worship (or family devotions). Let me tell you about more about it.
What is Family Worship?
The idea of family worship was first introduced to me by Joel Beeke’s sermons on the subject. It is a family spiritual discipline where God is worshiped daily in the home setting through song, Bible reading, and prayer.
Why I do Family Worship
I resolve to do family worship because, most importantly, it is a way to obediently apply two verses found in Ephesians. As the husband, who is the head of the household, I am responsible to God to lead my family in the ways he has prescribed. This means that I am to love my wife as Christ loved the Church, by “cleansing her by the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:27), and raise my children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). I obey these commands daily (at least try to) by leading my family to worship God. Family worship is not the only way to obey these commands, but I cannot think of a better way to intentionally build this pursuit into daily life.
Another reason is to bring our family together. It teaches and reminds us that worshiping God is a daily calling, not just a Sunday appointment. It promotes exploring the Bible and applying God’s truths to real life, with all its joys and miseries, together. It also provides opportunities to open up about our sins, fears, or unbeliefs. We can laugh, cry, sing, pray, and learn together. Who wouldn’t want these things for a family? I can foresee this benefiting all of us in ways I can’t even imagine right now.
How I do Family Worship
I started leading family worship the day after my wedding. My wife and I were used to studying the bible together, however, the daily commitment was awkward to drill into habit. Furthermore, I did not take the time at first to explain the importance of family worship for ourselves and our future kids to my wife, so she was not fully on board at the beginning. Now, we have a good rhythm going. By God’s grace, we have steadfastly worshiped God (mostly) everyday since our wedding. It is good to start before kids, so that when they come, the habit is already set and they can be easily incorporated.
- We start with singing two songs. These songs are either hymns or Christian children’s songs.
- Then I read scripture. The length varies based on the book. I do strongly recommend reading through the whole book leading to eventually the whole Bible. I explain the meaning and have a short discussion with Eunice (though Rosie regularly gives her input of growls, whines, and shrieks).
- Lastly, my wife and I close with prayer. We respond to the passage in worship, pray for one another, and petition for others. The whole ordeal runs about 15-25 minutes for us.
Some Resources To Help You Start
Doing family worship has been such a blessing for my family and I. We have grown immensely and we have already covered much ground in reading through the Bible together.
Here are some resources that might help you start worshiping God with your family:
- Join this 5 day mini-course on Family Worship by Crossway
- More Joel Beeke’s lectures and sermons on Family Worship.
- Any study Bible, like the MacArthur Study Bible, will help you understand and explain the Bible to your family.
Finally, check out PART 2 for a handful of tips to make the most out of your worship experience. I encourage you to think about the benefits family worship could have on your family. Could this practice be what God is calling you to take up to serve your family? Let us know your thoughts below!
13 Comments
Eric
Love this.
I’ve gotta implement this in our household STAT.
I also enjoy your concise, to the point writing style.
The only constructive feedback I have is your choice of using “ordeal” at the end (step 3). Could be just me but that word carries a negative connotation. If you are using it jokingly… sorry I have a terrible sense of humor (sometimes).
George
Thanks so much Eric! because of your comment I couldnt sleep last night. I got so excited that it was able to impact someone to try it out. Praise God for your heart! Stay tuned in a couple weeks and ill post some more tips. 🙂
Yeah I see what youre saying about ordeal lol Ill get around to changing it!
God bless brother
Donna Reidland
George & Eunice,
I’ve visited your site several times and have been blessed each time. My kids are all grown, but my husband and I still love sharing God’s Word together. We wish we had done more of this when our children were growing up. I’ll be sharing and pinning in the hope that many couples will be inspired by your example.
George
Good Morning Donna!
Thanks so much for reaching out – and for reading our blog. It always brings a blogger joy to hear that someone (out in cyberspace) is reading what we write. Thanks for your kind words and for sharing our stuff!
Love in Christ,
G&E
Nicole Kauffman
Love this! Definitely a new take on growing spiritually as a family for me!
George
Good Morning Nicole! Thanks for dropping by 🙂 You should definitely try it!
Lois Flowers
George and Eunice, I enjoyed reading your post about family worship this morning. I also watched the video on your “About Us” page and rejoice with you at the way God drew you to Himself and brought you together. I’m so glad to be your neighbor today at Purposeful Faith.
George
Hi Lois! Thanks so much. I’m so glad to hear that you were blessed 🙂 Our God is mighty and He has done an amazing thing in our lives!
Ronja
I love this! Family worship truly is important as it does bring a family together better. I think it’s an important practice to start when the kids are small as that is the way we show the importance of being in God’s presence every day, not just at church. Thank you for sharing this over at GraceFull Tuesday!
George
Hi Ronja, thanks for reading my post. It definitely is to start when kids are small! The establishing of the habit is key. Do you do family worship too?
Charlie | MississippiMom
What a wonderful way to worship with your family! I think sometimes we hold back, thinking family worship has to be something complicated. Your approach is simple, yet powerful. Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Encouraging Word Wednesday this week!
George
Thanks so much Charlie! Like most things, we make it more daunting than it should be! The key is to start, because the habit is pretty hard to establish and keep. I still struggle with this with my family.
And for the little ones, the singing just captivates and grabs hold of them! It’s amazing to see them respond to songs of praise everyday. Thanks so much for dropping by!
Sherry
I am wishing we had implemented this earlier in our marriage. How wonderful you did this from the start of your marriage. It is instrumental in following along with God’s plan for us. I loved seeing your story and reading this post! Thank you for sharing at Home Sweet Home! I will feature this today!