What is the father’s role in family worship? Voddie Baucham, in his book Family Driven Faith (see previous blog), referred to an article on the father’s role in family worship in the Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. This is an excellent journal, on that I have subscribed to in the past. I often go to the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) website and download past journals or read past articles. The article summarized thoughts from a book written in 1847 by James W. Alexander, entitled Thoughts on Family Worship.
I want to share just one quote from this book, hopefully to encourage you in or towards regular family worship. I do this because I know the difficulty of consistent time in the Word with my family. Alexander’s writing is a little out-dated, but his sentiment is right on regarding the need and necessity of a consistent family time in the Word and prayer, and worship also a potential part of this time. Here is part of his concluding exhortation.
“You need the aid of Family-Worship in the rearing of your children: this has been discussed at large. Your duty is now to act upon the truth. At present, while your children, perhaps, are small, you find government an easy task. They reverently hear your words, and pray by your side, and weep at the name of Jesus; you are sometimes tempted to think their hearts renewed. But a few years will make a strange difference. Let them enter upon adolescence, and all your cords will prove like the spider’s web, unless you shall have maintained your influence upon them by the daily-growing bond of family-religion. Look around you, among families professing faith in Christ, and observe the difference between those which worship God and those which worship him not; and then, as you love your offspring, and as you would save them for the rebellion of Hophni and Phinehas [1 Sam. 2:12-17], set up the worship of God in your house.”
I Commend Joy! 