There are 3 words that seem to bring panic to families with young children: Family. Devotion. Time.
Family devotion time is something we are encouraged to do by our churches, pastors, and even the Bible. We are to raise up our kids to know God’s Word. Psalm 78:1-8 speaks of the importance of making sure our children know the Lord, His ways, His Word and commandments, as well as His promises. And Proverbs 22:6 is the all too familiar verse, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
So if we know we are to teach our children about God’s Word, why does the thought of doing it induce panic? I think one reason is because we overcomplicate the idea. We want a handbook that tells us what family devotion time looks like, what it must include, and what book(s) we should use. When really, what’s important is to spend that time with our kids, opening the Bible and reading it together and talking about it. It’s as simple as Deuteronomy 11:19, “teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.” Family devotion time doesn’t necessarily have to be an appointed time and location – it’s more of a lifestyle. It’s a continual conversation with your kids about God’s Word.
For many families, life is complicated with school and work schedules, extracurricular activities, and school sports. And in those busy circumstances, setting aside time to gather your family together for devotion is a good way to hold accountability. But I think sometimes stressing about the details of devotion time can place stumbling blocks in front of struggling parents and families. What one family’s schedule and life looks like day by day and week by week may be drastically different for another family. Some moms or dads stay home, and others work full time; and there are many single parent families, as well as children being raised by their grandparents. So family devotion time is not a one-size-fits-all concept. The important thing is that God’s Word is “on your heart” and that His Word is taught diligently to our children (Deut. 7:6-9). The details of how that is lived out is up to us.
Family devotion time doesn’t have to be picture perfect, wrapped up neatly in a bow, with quiet, submissive children gathered quietly at the foot of “Pa” while he reads from the Bible. Sorry for the sarcasm, but I think it’s important to know that family devotion time is not always a magazine picture.
Maybe you gather at the dinner table one night each week with your family. Maybe you read a devotional book together each night before bed. Maybe you connect with your busy teens in devotion time via a Bible app. Maybe you go through a book of the Bible together. It doesn’t matter what you choose; just get in the practice of teaching God’s Word to your family, talking about His Word, who He is in character and attributes…any time the opportunity arises.
Those discussions and teachings could be carried out on a nature walk with your little ones as you examine God’s creation. Or in the car ride to or from school as you discuss certain topics. It can happen during breakfast or even bath time. For older kids, the teaching may come while fishing, cooking, or doing yardwork.
Busyness in our schedules and lives should not be an excuse as to why we don’t teach our kids about the Lord. It’s a commandment, which means it’s important to God – so it should be important to us and we should respond in obedience. I think one reason it’s so important to stay in a continual conversation with our families about God and His Word is because it’s easy to forget. When we forget His Word and who He is, we make our self a prime target for attacks from the enemy. The enemy will see us as easy prey and he will attempt to weaken our faith, like Eve when she was tempted by the serpent. The enemy will seek to confuse and cast doubt of who God is, what our purpose is, and how to look at our culture and world through His Word and His eyes. And if we don’t teach our kids who God is and what is in the Bible, then the world will teach them who He is not. We must prepare them for the battle they will face. We must lay a foundation for them.
Deuteronomy 4:9 tells us, “Be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.”
There are so many benefits to this time we spend with our children learning and talking about the Lord and His Word. Their knowledge about the Lord and His Word will increase, our relationship with them will be kindled, and even their salvation can result. Their minds are opened to God’s Word, and their hearts are being made sensitive to the Holy Spirit. The soil of their hearts are being cultivated, seeds are being planted, and others are being watered. Fruit is surely to come.
Isaiah 55:11 tells us, “My word be which goes out of My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.”
It may not look like there is fruit coming from this time you spend planting seeds for the Lord, but we do not know the work that the Lord is doing in our kids through our step of obedience – let alone the fruit the Lord does in our own heart and life.
Ultimately, this time we spend instructing our kids and talking about the Lord is a step of discipleship. We are living life with them day in and day out and we are showing them who the Lord is, what His Word says, and how to apply His truths to our life. They read God’s Word and talk about it with us, asking questions and receiving wisdom and understanding. Making this time available to our kids cultivates a safe place for them to ask questions about life and the Lord and how His Word affects them. Trust is being established and their love of learning about God and His Word is fostered.
Click here to listen to the podcast episode: family devotion time