General

Raising Worshippers

“The highest privilege and purpose as a parent is to lead the child in the way of Christ.” – Max Lucado.

The privilege of parenting is one that also comes with great responsibility. For Christian parents, the greatest of all responsibilities is the discipling of children in the ways of the Lord. While many great resources exist for leading children in prayer and times of studying stories from the Bible, parents often feel ill equipped to lead their children in worship at home.

Traditionally, worship is thought of as an emotional and spiritual experience that takes place while engaging in music or song. While this is an important part of worship, this is only one expression of it. The definition of worship is actually an expression of reverence, adoration, or devotion, meaning that worship is a posture of the heart (a noun), more than it is an act that is performed (a verb).

Understanding this definition opens up numerous possibilities for engaging in the worship of God. As parents begin to intentionally seek ways to cultivate worship in the lives of their children, here are a few ways to help get them started:

1. Be a Worshipper (Proverbs 22:6)– Kids copy what they see, especially from their parents. If parents want their children to be worshippers, they must consistently model this behavior for them. They must allow their children to see them spending time in Scripture, singing songs of praise to the Lord, and crying out to Him in prayer. Throughout the week, parents should let children see them participating in things that bless others and bring honor and glory to God. Remember, as the primary influencer in a child’s life, parents must be diligent to stay strong in their own faith if they want to successfully pass it down to their children.
2. Encourage Children to Explore Their Gifts/Talents (1 Peter 4:10)– At its core, worship is an expression of love and adoration to the Lord for His goodness. Out of that goodness, the Lord gives each person unique abilities to live out the life He has prepared for them. Helping a child discover his/her God-given gifts and talents and expressing themselves to Him through those gifts and talents is a great way to get children into the habit of living a life in constant worship.
3. Establish a Time for Family Devotions (Proverbs 22:6) – Family devotions can look as different as the families that engage in them. For some families, mornings will work best, and for others, bedtime may be the most convenient. Some families may choose to read from a devotional and pray together. Others may choose to sing songs, spend time in conversation about Scripture, or even listen to an audio recording of the Bible together. Neither the time of day nor the specific activities of the time together are as important as consistently meeting to worship the Lord as a family unit.
4. Keep God in Your Conversations Throughout the Day (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)– Worship is an attitude of the heart. When parents discipline themselves to stay in a posture of worship throughout the day, it will naturally flow into their conversations. However, this is a hard discipline to put into practice until it becomes a habit. Parents shouldn’t feel pressured to master this overnight. They could start by pointing out small reminders of the goodness of God, such as the beauty of a sunset, an unexpected blessing while out running errands, or the fact that there is warm water and electricity that runs to the home. They could put into practice the verbalization of small prayers as the chaos and the stressors of the day present themselves, demonstrating how to trust God in all areas of life. In whatever ways work best, bringing God into the everyday moments of life cultivates a culture of worship in the home that will begin to shape the hearts and minds of children into true worshippers.
5. Expose Children to Times of Intergenerational Worship (Psalm 145:4)– Because worship is such a diverse and timeless spiritual discipline, it is important to expose children to different expressions of it from those across generational lines. Allowing children to attend a worship service with their parents once every few weeks, calling grandparents to ask them to pray over them or lead them in a devotion, or taking opportunities at holidays for a quick time of worship with extended family are excellent ideas for this exposure.

However parents are most comfortable creating space for worship in their home, consistency and intentionality are the most important components. Just as Joshua boldly declared, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” (Joshua 24:15), committing their efforts to the Lord and remaining steadfast in their decision to nurture a heart of worship in their children will sow seeds that will take root and blossom into beautiful lives that reflect the goodness of God to all who see them.