PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN KIDS & FAMILIES date
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I want to speak openly about God’s goodness. I want words of His faithfulness to fill my home and spill naturally from my lips. Inspire (for parents) Jalynn, my almost-three-year-old daughter, says the most interesting things. While our conversations are delightful, it’s those times she doesn’t know I’m listening that are my favorite. Just this week I’ve overheard, “Jesus is so good. He healed my owie already!” and a barely recognizable (but passionate) version of “Blessed Be Your Name.”
and salvation. … May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, ‘The Lord be exalted!’” (Psalm 40:10, 16). Like Jalynn, I want to speak openly about God’s goodness. I want words of His faithfulness to fill my home and spill naturally from my lips. I want God to fill my prayers with praise and my heart with worship. I want my kids and neighbors, my husband and friends to know that I belong to the One who’s worth more to me than anything, the One who created me to worship Him.
A few years ago, a godly woman asked me how much of my worship was really about God. Worship, she said, is letting God know how much He’s worth. She challenged me to truly worship God through prayer for one minute. A conversation without any “I’s” by Sharron Jackson or “me’s”—just one minute. It didn’t take me long to realize that so much of what I called worship was really a little about God and a lot about me. 1; 95:2; 98:4; lms 27:6; 30:1 sa P : re tu ip cr through S (Worshipping Now I’m a mom. And that which 108:1; 149:3 is such a struggle for me seems to the Psalms) Worship God roll naturally off the tongues of my as Created to W I t: in Po n Mai ily to children. Without years of distractions, allow your fam is designed to ren ce ild ur ch so re ur is yo Th idol worship, and inhibitions blocking ord before W ’s od G in re is for pa nts have time the way, kids get it. They do so easily ause God’s plan ec B . ith, ch ur ch attend eir children’s fa what we were all created to do—they nurturers of th al n tu re iri ild sp ch e ur th yo to be iritually, worship. as you grow sp we know that ally as well. “I do not hide your righteousness in will grow spiritu my heart; I speak of your faithfulness
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Equip (for parents) David wrote poems and songs as a form of worship. The Psalms are filled with different postures of worship: singing, dancing, shouting, thanksgiving, lamenting, praising, and bowing down … Psalm 30:11—mourning into dancing; Psalm 149:1—sing to the Lord; Psalm 27:6—shouts of joy; Psalm 95:2— come to Him with thanksgiving; Psalm 98:5– 6—make a joyful symphony; Psalm 95:6— worship and bow down. Worship literally means, “giving worth to something.” Worship starts by simply thinking about God—taking time to appreciate who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing. Worship is our way of responding to God. When we worship we’re able to give a voice to our deepest thoughts and feelings! Romans 12:1 says, “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Worship is a sacrifice of our time, treasure, and talents. It’s taking our everyday lives and placing them before God as an offering. Because the word worship is so often associated with singing in church, our children can mistakenly assume this is the only way to worship God. As parents, let’s encourage our children to see all of life as worship to God. How they sleep, eat, play, and talk can all be directed to God in worship. We will best be able to model this for them when we’re living our own lives in worship of the Lord. So, as we surrender different areas of our lives to God in worship, let’s share that with our kids! Let’s tell them how we are worshipping, how we are experiencing God in the process, and let’s invite them do it alongside us whenever possible!
REMEMBER VERSE
“God chose us to belong to Christ [Jesus] before the world was created.” Ephesians 1:4 (NIrV)
Support (for parents & kids) Sometime this week, read with your child some biblical descriptions of worship in Psalms 30:11, 149:3, and 108:1. Before reading, pray as a family and ask God to show you how He wants to be worshipped in your time together. Then think of a question that reviews what you just read such as, “In what ways was God worshipped in these verses?” JUST FOR FUN, as your family gathers to read, play quiet worship music and light some candles. After you’ve read, tell your children you’re now going to worship God, and ask them how they would like to do this. While the song plays you can sit quietly, kneel and raise your hands, dance, or sing along. Choose a response and spend several minutes worshipping God as a family. When you’re finished, share with your children that what they just heard is a part of The Big God Story in the Bible, and they’ll hear it in church. Ask your children to share with you their thoughts and questions about what they just heard and experienced. Close your time by praying and thanking God for the opportunity to worship Him. Ask Him to continue to show each of you how to worship Him in the week ahead.
© 2010 David C Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.