Family Worship: Partakers

“For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ~Acts 2:39

This is our third installment in a series on family worship. So far we’ve considered what family worship is and some of the common pitfalls surrounding its implementation in our homes. I highly recommend you go back and read or re-read those first two devotionals as these are meant to cooperate with one another in building the case for family worship and aiding us in our practice of it. 

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of each element of family worship (Scripture, song, and prayer), I want to offer one last encouragement to those who are just getting started on this journey, as well as to those who have been practicing family worship for years. I want to comment on the specific partakers of the blessings of family worship, which I number at five. 

First, family worship blesses the individual(s) leading it. The father or mother, husband or wife, even the single woman in her apartment or single man in his — in every case, the person who is reading God’s Word with intention to grow in knowledge and love to Christ, who is singing God’s praises, and who is offering up prayers of confession, adoration, thanksgiving, and supplication before the throne of grace will inevitably benefit from focused time with the Giver of Life. Family worship will bless you, Christian, as you meditate on God’s precious promises, sing of His excellent greatness, and bow down before His glorious throne. 

Second, family worship is a blessing to little children. In 2 Timothy 3:15 Paul tells Timothy to remember the “sacred writings” (i.e., the Scriptures) with which he has been acquainted since childhood. That word “childhood” means “nursing infant.” It was the holy Word of God that Timothy’s grandmother and mother read to him in his infancy, and Paul says that by doing so they were acquainting him with the words of life — the very truth of salvation! What a blessing it is to our youngest children when parents read God’s life-giving Word to them. Their minds might not yet grasp the words or catch the rhythm of a hymn, but the Spirit uses these things to shape their hearts after the things of God.

Third, family worship is a blessing to bigger children. Teenagers are among the busiest people on the planet. School, homework, sports practice, music practice, hanging out with friends, chores, learning to drive, driving… the list is extensive. It might be easy to assume that what they need is less time taken away from their already busy schedules and, therefore, not require them to participate with the rest of the family in worshiping God. Besides, we are inclined to think, they can do that on their own in their room after the rest of their obligations are covered. Friends, this is the exact opposite of what they need! Growing children — teenagers, for example — need both time with God and time with their family. Gathering around the table or fireplace to hear from the Lord, sing to Him, and pray for each other’s needs is of great importance. It might seem counterintuitive, but giving them that time back for other things will only make those other things harder — undertaken, as they'll be, without the blessing of daily worship.

Fourth, family worship is a blessing to a generation not yet born. As the Shorter Catechism reminds us, the Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man. Psalm 78:1-4 tells us it is the responsibility of believing parents to teach their children the wondrous works of God. Psalm 102:18 teaches that the benefit of such teaching is not only to our living children, but to those not yet born. Think about this for a moment: family worship has a generational impact. It will shape and bless our children as they learn who God is and how to live their lives for Him. It will create within them an appreciation for the practice of worshiping as a family, and it will guide them as they start their own families in the future. Family worship today will echo into future generations as our children and children’s children maintain this biblical practice to the praise of God’s glory and the good of their own families. What a legacy of love for the Lord and for His Word.

Lastly, family worship is a blessing to the entire covenant community. When we disciple our children at home, they are better equipped to participate in corporate worship on the Lord’s Day. When we expect just the right amount from them (not driving them to despair with an overbearing program of family worship, and not letting them run wild while God’s Word is read and prayers are offered), we give them the discipline and maturity to bless the rest of the gathered body on Sunday. Additionally, we teach them to sing the hymns and psalms of the church. This will increase our collective voice as we lift up praises to God in corporate worship. And lastly, they will learn to participate in corporate prayer — not by sitting silently as the pastor prays, but by joining their hearts together with the rest of the body in prayer. Think of the blessing of having our young and growing children praying for the elderly among us and praying for the sick and downcast within the church. Would we not all benefit from the prayers of God’s littlest ones ascending up to heaven in faith? 

Friends, this has been a longer-than-normal devotional. That’s because there’s a lot to say about the wonderful blessings of family worship. What a kindness from the Lord that something so simple — reading the Bible, singing songs, and praying — would result in blessings on parents, little ones, growing children, the next generation, and even the entire church family! Let’s together commit to implementing this in our homes to the praise of God’s grace and the growth of His church.

Rev. Kyle W. A. Lockhart, Pastor