In my previous post, I covered why we started doing “family worship time” and what, exactly, we do as a family during that time. 

In this post, I want to cover four ways family worship blesses us— outside the big ol’ giant obvious one.

Family worship is an excellent way to disciple your children and teach them the things of God. The magic secret ingredient is intentionality. When you commit to doing family worship together, you’re committing to carving out space intentionally to do so. We all yearn for that awesome, spontaneous opportunity to have a heart-to-heart conversation and help our kids connect the Gospel to life in real-time. What a gift! But the power of habit— of faithfulness— works like interest. Our efforts accumulate over time and will— by the grace of God!— bear sweet fruit.

So the big, obvious way family worship blesses our family is that it creates space in our hurried lives so we can teach our kids the things of God— we read the Word with them, pray with them, and sing praise to God with them.

Here are four less obvious ways family worship has blessed us:

Family worship time gets us from dinner to bedtime

I figure I should start with the least “spiritual” benefit here— but it’s 100% pure grace from God!

We live in the Pacific Northwest and started doing family worship time regularly in the fall. As the days grew shorter and more miserable outside, family worship time became a lifeline! It gave us something to do between dinner and bedtime.

With young kids (mine are 2 and 5), beginning a family worship time can seem really intimidating. Will they even sit through it? How long should it be? If you leave the singing for the end, it can easily transition into a general dance party so that’s a win-win-win in my book!

Family worship time helps me remember what’s important

I’m a type-A, overachiever. I’ve spent the last 5 years as a stay-at-home mom silently raging at my inefficiency, always wishing I could get more done. I battle the world and my flesh daily to remember that discipling my children is important— it’s the most important work I’ll likely ever do. 

Family worship time helps me remember that. It makes me stop my never-ending to-do list, sit down, open the Bible and be with my family and with the Lord. I need that kind of life-giving habit if I have any hope of remembering what really matters.

I really didn’t anticipate this one— but if you’re anything like me, try turning your back on the sink full of dirty dishes and worshiping God with your kids. It might surprise you how fruitful that small sacrifice can be.

Family worship time means completely present parents

I feel a lot of pressure to play with my kids, to be present with them, to enjoy every moment because they grow up so fast. Which is true and good! But I often feel like a failure when I really need to get stuff done so our house and lives don’t fall apart. It’s a lot!

Family worship time is set apart in our schedule— it’s a time when both dad and mom sit down, stop, and are completely present. I’m enjoying my kids, they’re enjoying me— everyone is present. That’s beautiful! And it frees me up to do what I need to do at other times throughout the day with less guilt. I know that in addition to other time I carve out for them (car chats and school time and other times) I’ll be completely present and available to them at 6:45 pm every night— they can learn to be patient, responsible, and hardworking until then.

Family worship time is a sweet witness to visitors

Since we started doing family worship time, we’ve had family come to visit— hi, military family here! 

One family member is resistant to any conversation about the Gospel. One family member was visiting with a significant other and we weren’t sure where either of them stood spiritually.

During each respective visit, we continued to practice family worship time and we were so worried it’d be weird— but it wasn’t! It helps that my 5-year-old daughter usually jumps the gun at dinner and begins chanting, “Family worship time!” 

We were pleasantly surprised that in the first situation, our family member began to sit through family worship time with us and even requested specific songs by the end of the trip. 

In the second situation, we felt family worship time allowed us to read the situation a bit and we were able to bring up hard questions in a more organic way.

During a third trip, in which my sweet in-laws visited, we were prayed over and encouraged. 

Family worship time makes it easy to talk about the things of God with the people you love because that’s exactly what you’re already doing.

A means of God’s grace to you

So if you’re looking for something to get you from dinner to bedtime— if you’re looking for something to help you remember what’s important— if you’re looking to practice being more present— if you’re looking for a sweet opportunity to talk with loved ones about Jesus— family worship time might be God’s means of grace to you, just like it’s been for us. 

Remember Matthew 6:33? “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Commit to family worship time and watch for all the unexpected ways it will bless you.