The Men of Iron Minute

A Father’s Guide to Family Worship

I’ve been wrestling with questions about family worship: How am I modeling worship for my family? Is teaching my family how to worship a priority? As the spiritual leader in my home, I’m trying to understand how to lead my kids spiritually.

How do I model worship and make it a priority, especially with a young child?

If you’re like the average American church-going family, Sunday mornings are meant for worship. The problem is that too many men rely on the church for their family’s worship experience. For many of us, worship ends on Sunday, and that’s it for the week. While the kids’ pastor leads our children in worship (thank God for kids’ pastors), we rarely set time apart to lead our own families in worship.

A few weeks ago, I was in a two-day golf tournament. My Sunday tee time didn’t allow me to take my family to church. Instead, I pulled up worship songs on YouTube, put them on the TV, and we began to worship. As my wife and I sang quietly, I felt my daughter tugging at my leg. I picked her up and continued to worship. My eyes were closed, and my arm was raised. I was in the worship zone.

Then, I felt her shift in my arm. I opened my eyes to see my 20-month-old daughter with her eyes closed and her little arm in the air, mimicking me. I was overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit in that moment. My heart melted, and I felt so proud of her. God reminded me, “You’re my child. I’m proud of you, too.” No matter how young my children are, it’s my responsibility to model worship and lead them. And no matter how old I get, our Father still loves when we worship Him.

Donald S. Whitney says it perfectly in Family Worship: “Having your family in a Christ-exalting, gospel-centered, Bible-teaching local church is crucial to Christian parenting. But it is not enough for conveying to your family all you want to teach them about God and your beliefs. Moreover, it is unlikely that exposure to the church once or twice a week will impress your children enough with the greatness and glory of God that they will want to pursue him once they leave your home.”

This is why family worship is so important. God deserves to be worshiped daily in our homes by our families.

Men, let’s model worship and prayer for our families. Let’s lead and guide them on a spiritual journey.

Our children are watching and will imitate our every move. They will follow us into the unknown. They desperately desire our leadership and strength. It’s in us. Find it. Accept it. Embrace it.

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