The Bible teaches us that worship is our way to give thanks and praise to God. Worship is an important aspect of our relationship with Him.
How do we learn to worship?
Many Christians are not certain exactly what worship is, because they have never been taught. The perfect place to teach the art of worship is at home, with family worship.
Imagine walking into a church filled with praise and worship and feeling left out, because you have never seen or experienced this before. Wanting to lift your hands in praise, but feeling embarrassed because you were never taught that it was appropriate or acceptable.
Worshiping together as a family teaches our children that it is perfectly acceptable. It helps teach them that we were made to worship.
God’s word tells us in Psalm 100:1-5
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”
Worship can be both public and private, and everyone has their own way to worship. The one common denominator in worship is a sincere heart. We can worship God through song, dance, lifting our hands, or any number of other ways. No matter how we express our worship, God receives it and loves it.
There is no certain place that we have to worship, and you are not graded on how well you perform. You can worship in your church, at your home, or even in your car. The place and time are not the important factors, it is the message that we are sending to God.
To have a truly meaningful worship time with God, it is important to remember that we worship for Him, and not for other people. There are times when you may feel pressured to “fit in” by worshiping in the same way as others, but don’t give in. Worship is an intimate experience between you and God. The wonderful thing is that when you worship from your heart, God knows what you are feeling, so your surroundings and the actions of others near you are not important.
As a family it is important to learn that you can worship God in both good and bad times. We know, as children of God that he is always there. Circumstances may not always turn out the way we plan, but God has a plan that is bigger than our own, and we can worship him knowing that he is always there.
How can you practice the art of family worship?
Explain to your family that God is great, and mighty to be praised. Let them know that God created us to love and worship him.
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Your post reminded me of what my parents had through us when we were growing up…
We had “family worship” every night before dinner or going to bed. We would sing songs, my parents would read a devotional book or the Bible (or we switched readers) and then we prayed together as a family.
Those were good memories. I hope I can start something like that with my own family.