Most evenings, our family sets a few minutes aside for family worship, or as we usually call it, Family Time. When my wife and I got married and started our family, we knew that we must have family worship. And we’ve stuck at it ever since.
The way we do it has changed a lot over the years as the children have grown and circumstances have changed. It’s always been a struggle and we’ve never felt that we’ve got the formula just right. But I’m grateful to God that he’s helped us to keep it up all through the years.
When the children were young we had Family Time twice a day, after breakfast and after tea. That isn’t possible now. There simply isn’t an opportunity in the morning for the whole family to worship together. We have three teenagers at home. Two of them leave the house quite early to get to school on time. I try to pray with each of them before they leave; anything more is unrealistic.
Even in the evening it’s not easy to find a time when we’re all free – one of the children may be out with friends; another may have a stack of homework to get through. I may have a deadline to meet for my Evangelical Times column! And Mum’s list of jobs to be done is endless. But, if we’re determined we usually find a window of opportunity.
Family Time back in the early days never lasted more than ten minutes. And even then it could be cut short. A baby may start crying. A toddler may need the toilet. One little boy may push another off his chair. Thankfully, we’ve got past that stage, but we still keep it brief: rarely more than 20 or 25 minutes.
He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments...
