Devotional / Family Worship; December 11, 2025

What is family worship? (Click the arrow to the left)

As Christians, particularly Christian men, we are responsible to lead our households with strength and resolve in the ways of Christ. Leading our families in devotions and family worship is one way to lead our families, raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Jesus Christ (cf. Deuteronomy 6:7; Ephesians 6:4).

In my house, we do morning and evenings. In the morning after we eat breakfast together, we all have our quiet times. We read our Bibles seperately and journal what we see. In the evenings before bed, we talk about what we saw in our morning Bible reading, I share my insight from my own devotional time, we ask questions from the New City Catechism, we sing a couple worship songs together, and then we pray as a family. Family worship doesn’t have to look like this. It may look different for every household, but I want to invite you to join me in leading our families well. Every weekday on this blog, I want to provide a guide for fathers to lead their families in some form of family worship. If your household doesn’t have a father, I believe the responsibility falls to the mother. Design a routine that works for your family, but be intentional about leading in the only way that matters instead of getting too caught up with the affairs of this world. Every Christian man is the pastor of his home. I believe the most important thing we can do for our children is (1) lead them in the home and (2) be faithful to the church as a family. As the family goes, so goes the nation. Our job as pastors to our family matters.

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Isaiah 40:1-5

1 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. 

2 “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; 

And call out to her, that her ^bwarfare has ended, 

That her ^ciniquity has been removed, 

That she has received of the Lord’s hand 

Double for all her sins.” 

3 A voice is calling, 

“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; 

Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 

4 “Let every valley be lifted up, 

And every mountain and hill be made low; 

And let the rough ground become a plain, 

And the rugged terrain a broad valley; 

5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, 

And all flesh will see it together; 

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah foretold a time when the glory of Yahweh would appear, and all humanity together would see it.

Isaiah saw the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles as God’s hand of discipline upon Israel and Judah. In this part of his prophecy, Isaiah declares that the time for labor is past and the nation’s sin has been pardoned. Not only would the Jews return to their land, but a way would also be prepared for Yahweh Himself to appear.

When Yahweh appeared personally, there would be no valley, mountain, uneven ground, or rough place able to keep people from seeing Him. Considering how small and insignificant Judea was in the world, and yet, 2000 years later, all eyes are still on Jesus—even the eyes of unbelievers. We see that there is some substance to this prophecy. Jesus came for and is seen not merely by the Jews, but all humanity. The was was perfectly prepared. Not only are there no obstructions so people can plainly see God in Christ, but Jesus is the primary topic of conversation worldwide, even among unbelievers. The mouth of Yahweh spoke, and it was done. Christmas laid flat the whole world and peeled back the heavens so God was clearly seen in the person of Christ. His appearance is undeniable, at least in any reasonable way.

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Today’s question from the New City Catechism:

Q- How does the Holy Spirit help us?

A- The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, and he enables us to pray and to understand God’s Word.

Ephesians 6:17-18 says,

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

18 With all prayer and petition ^bpray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, ^dbe on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 

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Have a question about today’s devotional?