Time flies, especially when you’re raising a family. It’s natural to feel a tug on our hearts to prioritize our family’s spiritual growth – but sometimes, we don’t know where to begin. Don’t worry – we’re here to help, NorthRock fam! Let us guide you with simple steps to create memorable family devotionals that will not only enrich your faith, but strengthen your family together.
1. Schedule Time Together
Be intentional about dedicating time together for family devotionals. Whether it’s a weekly, biweekly, or monthly commitment, mark it on everyone’s calendar in advance.
2. Start with Prayer
Here at NorthRock, we believe that prayer is our first response, not our last resort. Start with a short prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit to lead your time together. Encourage one of the kids to lead if they’re willing, keeping it short and heartfelt.
3. Dive into Scripture
Gather around God’s Word as a family. It gives everyone a safe place to ask questions and explore the Bible. If you have little ones, use an easy-to-understand translation such as NIV (New International Version) or NLT (New Living Translation), or NIrV (New International Reader’s Version).
Don’t know where to start? Consider these ideas:
- Explore a book of the Bible chapter by chapter, like Ephesians or Romans.
- If you have young children, download the YouVersion Bible App for Kids to help keep them engaged.
- Study the lives of biblical characters and learn from their experiences – Ruth, David, or Paul are great characters to start with.
- Facilitate a Bible Study based on your family values. For example, if you want to teach your kids to be generous, read verses about generosity each week until you run out. Then move on to a different family value, such as kindness.
- Complete a devotional together from the YouVersion Bible App.
- Use devotionals created from Parent Cue. Sort by topic or age group or download the app for easy accessibility.
4. Discuss
After reading Scripture, encourage a time for any questions your family may have. Think about how these verses may apply to your family’s experiences and challenges. How can you live out the virtues discussed in the Scriptures? Brainstorm together on practical ways to apply these teachings in your daily life.
5. End in Prayer
Wrap up your time together in prayer, inviting each family member to share their personal prayer requests. Create a safe place to share anything that might be weighing anyone down. If your family chooses to do so, consider writing each prayer request down in a journal so you can look back and thank God for any prayer He’s answered. You can close in prayer yourself or have each person pray for the person on their right.