Family devotion is when you come together with your family to pray and study the word of God. This is a very important thing and must be a part of every Christian home. Yet it is not something that is practised in most Christian homes.
In this article, we are going to discuss why it is important to have family devotion in your home. Yes, life can get a lot busy and sometimes it can be hard to even have the whole family at home except in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep.
But if you should make family devotion a part of your family life, you will find out in the end that it is really worth it.
Why should you hold family devotion?
1. To acknowledge that God is the centre of your home
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15
Having family devotion together at home shows that God is the centre of your home and you and your family depend on Him. This makes the children realise that making time for God should be a priority in their life.
If you never make time for God together as a family and you are faced with a problem and you call your family together to pray, it sends the wrong message to the kids. That they only need God when things are going wrong for them.
But if you make family devotion a regular thing at home, it teaches the children that they need God all the time and it is important to make God the centre of their life.
2. Children won’t do it on their own
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Every parent will be happy if their children will make reading their Bible and talking to God a part of their life. But unless you start with them, children will hardly pick up such a habit.
Little children can’t read the Bible on their own, so family devotion time can be the time to read the Bible to them to let them know the word of God.
Older kids can read the Bible on their own but they will hardly do it if you don’t instil that tradition in them. They would rather spend time with their friends, be on their phone or watch movies.
So if you make family devotion part of their upbringing it will also pave way for personal devotion in their life as they grow up.
3. It serves as the time to teach kids to pray and read the Bible
Family devotion time serves as the time to teach your kids how to pray and how to study the Bible. Most children don’t know how to pray or what to say in a prayer. But if this time together as a family can be the perfect time to teach your kids how to pray.
You can even take turns to say a closing prayer after the devotion every time. That way everyone can take part and it will also help them know how to pray.
You can also use this time to teach them how to study the Bible. Because when it comes to the Bible, it is not just about reading it but understanding it and applying it in your daily life too.
4. It promotes good character development in children
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
During family devotion time, we read the Bible together and we learn from the Bible together as a family. There are so many great lessons about behavior and character in the Bible.
This will help you to teach your children how to behave accordingly and how to react in every situation they find themselves in. The Bible can serve as the guidelines for their actions.
5. It provides comfort and encouragement
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
You never know, that 10 minutes you spent together this morning sharing the word of God might be all the encouragement your spouse or children needed to start their day.
We all go through certain things in our daily lives and although it helps to share it with our family, sometimes we keep it to ourselves and try to find a way to push through on our own before we tell the people around us.
During times like these, the word of God can provide comfort and encouragement for anyone in the family who is facing something. You may know about it or they might not have told you about it yet, still, the word will serve its purpose.
6. It prepares us to share the word of God
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
When we all get involved in family devotion, it prepares us to share the word of God. As you read the Bible together and discuss it together, it prepares you to share the word of God with others, it also gives you the confidence to share the word of God.
So make family devotion a time for everyone to partake in the word of God. Take turns praying and reading scriptures each day. Let everyone speak up about how they understand the passage they read in the Bible and how it applies in their life.
Doing this will give your kids and yourself the confidence to speak about God and share His words with others.
7. Family time
And lastly, doing this brings us together as a family. In some homes, they barely make time to be together as a family. There is always at least one person absent.
Family devotion time can be that time of the day that you all come together as a family to spend time together away from the world and every kind of distraction.
When to have a family devotion
There is no set time to have family devotion. It depends on you and your family and your schedules. So to find the right time to have family devotion, sit down together as a family and find the time that works for all.
For most families, it is the first thing in the morning before they leave home for work and school. Or last thing at night before they go to bed. But really, it depends on all your schedules.
Some people can’t have the whole family together each day of the week because of work. For some, they can only make time during the weekends. So figure out what time works best for you and your whole family. Whether it is first thing in the morning, the last thing at night or 4pm every Saturday.
How to have a family devotion
Start with prayer
As Christians, it is important to start everything with a prayer. So start your devotion with a simple prayer.
You can thank God for your lives and dedicate the session to him. Tell Him to bring his word to you and help you understand whatever you read and discuss as a family.
Prayer to say before devotion
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for this beautiful day
We thank you for this time you’ve given to us to study your word together
We pray that you will send down your Holy Spirit to come and be our teacher
Help us to understand your word when we read it
Open our minds, our eyes, and our hearts
So that we may know the truth of your word
And welcome your word into our hearts
In Jesus’ name
Amen
Read the Bible
After that, you can take a scripture from the Bible and read it. This can be a verse or a whole chapter. You can also use bible study devotionals and bible reading plans.
Discuss
Now discuss what you read in the Bible. Make sure each member of the family says what is on his or her mind. How he/she understands the passage and how they can apply it in their own lives.
Pray
Now that you’ve discussed the word of God, it is important to pray over the word. So pray for deeper understanding. Pray that the word serves its purpose in everybody’s life.
If you have the devotion early in the morning, you can also pray and dedicate your whole day into God’s hands. If you have it at night, you can ask for His protection as you are going to sleep. It is very important to always start and end with a prayer.
Prayer to say at the end of devotion
Father Lord,
Thank you for bringing your word to us
Thank you for helping us understand your word
Thank you for the comfort and encouragement
that your word has brought to us
We pray for a deeper understanding of your word
As we are about to go on with our daily lives,
We pray that we’ll be able to apply your word in our lives
Let your word serve its purpose in our lives
And set us on the right paths in life in Jesus name,
Amen
Other things you can do during family devotion time
You can also use family devotion time to
- Praise and worship God.
- Learn hymns
- Teach kids how to pray
- Have Bible trivia
- Talk about an incredible thing God did for you in the week
