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Family Worship

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 29, 1916

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 32.

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Family Worship

By J. M. Cole

J. M. COLE
The value of family worship cannot be overestimated. That home in which there is no family altar cannot expect the divine benediction. If the Lord does not cover our habitation with the shadow of his wings, surely our home will be without a shelter in the storm. If we do not seek the Lord for his guidance, our household will be like a ship without a pilot.
The misbehavior of many of the children of professedly Christian parents is often due to the neglect of family worship or the cold formality at the altar of prayer. Many a sore judgment has befallen households because God was not duly honored therein. We have seen parents allow their young children to play or run about during worship, and later wonder why their children were not more inclined to seek the Lord at the family altar. Parents cannot begin too early to teach their children to reverence the hour of worship. The neglect of quiet reverence is one of the first steps toward the world.
“Eli was a good man, pure in morals; but he was too indulgent. . . . He did not want to hurt the feelings of any one, and had not the moral courage to rebuke and reprove sin. . . .
“The guilty sons of Eli were slain in battle. . . . He knew that his sin of neglect in failing to stand for the right and restrain wrong had at lastdeprived Israel of her strength and glory. . . . What a lesson have we here for parents and guardians of youth.”
. . . We are just as accountable for evils that we might have checked in others, by reproof, by warning, by exercise of parental or pastoral authority, as if we were guilty of the acts ourselves.
“Eli should have first attempted to restrain evil by mild measures; but if that would not avail, he should have subdued the wrong by the sternest measures. . . . Eli was gentle, loving, and kind, and had a true interest in the service of God. But he was wanting; . . . he did not add to his faith the courage and power to say no at the right time and in the right place.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. IV, pp. 516, 517.
A lady with whom we are acquainted said, “I never knew family prayer to be neglected in our home, no matter how busy we were. If my father was away, mother would lead.” That family of seven are all devout Christians. Did the earnest prayers and the quiet but steady requirements of these parents have anything to do with making the children what they are?
“If ever there was a time when every house should be a house of prayer, it is now. . . . And yet, in this time of fearful peril, some who profess to be Christians have no family worship. They do not honor God in the home; they do not teach their children to love and fear him. Many have separated themselves so far from him that they feel under condemnation in approaching him. They cannot ‘come boldly unto the throne of grace,’ ‘lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ Heb. 4:16; 1 Tim. 2:8. They have not a living connection with God. Theirs is a form of godliness without the power.
“The idea that prayer is not essential is one of Satan’s most successful devices to ruin souls. . . . By sincere, earnest prayer, parents should make a hedge about their children. They should pray with full faith that God will abide with them, and that holy angels will guard them and their children from Satan’s cruel power.
“In every family there should be a fixed time for morning and evening worship. . . . The father, and in his absence the mother, should conduct the worship, selecting a portion of Scripture that is interesting and easily understood. . . .
“Fathers and mothers, make the hour of worship intensely interesting. There is no reason why this hour should not be the most pleasant and enjoyable of the day. . . . The prayer offered should be short and pointed. In simple, earnest words let the one who leads in prayer praise God for his goodness and ask him for help. As circumstances permit, let the children join in the reading and the prayer.
“Eternity alone will reveal the good with which such seasons of worship are fraught. . . .
“Each morning and evening gather your children around you, and in humble supplication lift the heart to God for help. . . . Those who would live patient, loving, cheerful lives must pray. Only by receiving constant help from God can we gain the victory over self.
“Each morning consecrate yourselves and your children to God for that day. . . . Lay all your plans before God, to be carried out or given up, as his providence shall indicate. Accept his plans instead of your own, even though their acceptance requires the abandonment of cherished projects.”—Id., Vol. VII, pp. 42-44.
Australasia.