How to Be Intentional About Family Time With God

In an age of blended families and busy schedules, there's no greater time for us to be deeply rooted in Jesus Christ as a family.

Church attendance and Sunday school are helpful to Christian growth, but equally if not more important, Christianity must be lived out in the home.

Jesus Christ should be front and center in our lives. 

We can read all the blog posts we want, but there is no magic formula for building a Christian home short of being rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ.

​Christian families through the ages have found joy, strength, and guidance by committing time daily to pray together, as a family, and read together from God's Word. 

How Do We Begin?

Setting aside a regular time.
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The first step toward establishing an effective family time with God is to be intentional about scheduling. Many families schedule this time after breakfast or dinner.

​Often, these meals naturally bring the family together and can lead conveniently into a time not only of togetherness, but also a family time with God. Other families find just before bedtime works well.

​Whatever time you choose, be sure that the whole family can be together on a regular basis. Consistency is important because it shows that family time with God is a high priority.

What Do We Include?

Family time with God can include many activities, but it is important to include at least these three:

1. Reading God's Word.
2. Discussion of what was read.
3. Prayer—the line of communication.

The Bible is an exciting book! It is filled with true stories of God's heroes, down-to-earth advice, spiritual insight and most importantly, the plan of salvation. It is the primary way that God communicates to us today. It is essential that we feed on His Word regularly.

Reading God's Word Together

There are so many ways to be intentional about daily Bible reading with your family.
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• Read a Chapter or Passage Each Day: This is a simple plan used by many families. You can read consecutively through a book, taking a chapter or passage each day. It's a great idea to allow older children to take turns reading as well. Then, each person can share what most impressed them about what was read. This will help everyone in the family see how God's Word applies to them personally.
  
  
• ​Bible Reading Plans: A similar approach is to follow a program designed to guide your family through the Bible in a year. I love this idea! A number of plans of this type are available for download on the Internet, and your church may also supply Bible reading plans of this type. One advantage to this approach is that your family will be exposed to the whole Bible in a systematic way. II Timothy 3:16 says,

 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."

• ​Devotional Guides: A variety of excellent devotional guides are available from Christian publishers, at most churches, and you can also find them for free download on the Internet. Devotional guides can be valuable aids to understanding and applying the Scriptures through the insights of godly commentators. Check out our page Explore Christianity for three of our favorite devotionals.
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• ​Family Bible Study Programs: Families with older children may want to try studying the Bible in a more in-depth way together. Each family member can read and reflect on the daily portion beforehand. After re-reading the passage together, discussion can follow. Many good Bible study books are available on the internet or maybe even at your church. These will help guide your family time with God. One such program is the 30-Day Bible Reading Challenge from Revive Our Hearts. Download it for free and begin your family time with God today!
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• Reading With Younger Children: Children under six may not be able to read the Bible themselves. However, they can still learn much from hearing it being read. When the Bible is read out loud, even the youngest child will begin to see that God's Word is important. Explain the passage in simple language. Avoid abstract ideas. This will help keep the interest of younger children, and we've probably all at one time or another been amazed by the insights of our little ones! Consider getting your little one a Bible written on their level—especially if they are just learning to read. This will help them participate in the reading of the Word, and give them ownership in the process.

Reading God's Word together is also an excellent time to begin sharing the basic truths of salvation with the younger members of your family as well as memorizing Scripture together.

Discussion of God's Word

Discussing the Bible passage your family reads is an important part of family time with God. 
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• Keep it Clear and Concise: Try to keep the discussion clear and concise. Often basic questions like "What happened?" or "What is being taught?" and "How does this apply to our life?" will help your family understand the passage.
  
  
• Engage the Whole Family: As parents, it is important to maintain a healthy balance between leadership and participation. Be sure the whole family is engaged and encouraged to participate. 
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• Be Sensitive to the Needs of Your Family: It is also important to be sensitive to the special needs of each family member. Some questions may seem off subject, but this may be a good indicator of issues your child is facing. Help them discover how God's Word relates to specific needs and circumstances in their lives.

With positive, prayerful leadership, a time of discussion will provide an opportunity to grow together spiritually as a family.

Prayer is Praise, Confession and Petitions

Communicating with God should be a part of your family time.
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​God communicates to us through His Word, but it is a one-way conversation unless we lift up our hearts to Him in prayer. Our loving heavenly Father wants us to talk to Him. He delights in our praise confession, and petitions, just like any loving father would.

• ​Praise: When we think of God's goodness, our hearts should well up in worship and praise—for the beauty of His creation, for the gift of life, for a loving family, for the fellowship of Christians, and above all for salvation. There is no end to the list! Even the youngest child can add their own worship and praise. Perhaps each person could share at least one thing to praise God for each day. Make a list. Journal your praise. Be intentional!
  
  
• ​Confession: As we lift our hearts up to the Lord, we should also recognize our own unworthiness and sinfulness. Yes, God has forgiven our sins once and for all, however, we still need to confess as we continually fall short of His perfect standard. As we confess our sin and weaknesses, we draw closer to Him and grow in grace and knowledge of His forgiveness. ​As we make confession part of our prayer time, it may be helpful to suggest something like: "Let's remember in prayer those things which we need to confess to the Lord and to each other, asking God's forgiveness both for things we have done and left undone."
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• Petitions: Like a loving father, God desires to know our deepest concerns just as much as to receive our praise and confession. We can open up our hearts to Him, knowing that He hears and answers our prayers, and that He will work all things together for good. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). And as we share our needs with God, and each other, we will be drawn closer to Him and together as a family.​​

Many families find it helpful to keep a prayer journal. This might include special needs of the family, neighbors, missionaries, church or government leaders. It can also provide a record of answers to prayer. Whatever the answer, we know that God hears and responds according to His will. I like praying specific prayers and  keeping a prayer journal. 

Some families may wish to include other things in their family time with God like singing hymns or choruses, acting out a Bible story, or doing a craft. These can be meaningful, but there is no need to begin with something so elaborate. Begin with simplicity, and be intentional and consistent. The important thing is to daily, commit to read and discuss God's Word and pray together.

It is often said that the family that prays together, stays together—and the statistics show this to be true. But this is not all. As we seek God daily, we renew our relationship with Him and with each other. He talks with us and we talk with Him. He receives our praise, confession and petitions, and we come to understand the joy of His presence.
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If your family has not been intentional about scheduling a family time with God, please consider making this important time a part of your home life beginning today. In doing so, as a family you will "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (II Peter 3:18).

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What would happen if you had family time with God every day for 30 days? Would anything change?

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, from Revive Our Hearts,  is challenging us with this 30-Day Bible Reading Challenge to try and find out.

Will you be intentional and set aside a time each day for the next 30 days to read and discuss God’s timeless, powerful Word with your family?

Download the 30-Day Bible Reading Challenge and begin your family time with God today!

If you have already established a family time with God in your home, please share your tips for being intentional and keeping it consistent.