Give them good songs

I can’t help but chuckle as my small family sings to the Lord during family worship. We  rarely sing in the right pitch, we fumble over lyrics, and our ability to keep the correct tune is  inconsistent. We don’t play any instruments, which would help guide us or at least drown us out  a bit. It’s truly a sound only the Lord and a mother could love. One might wonder, if our talents  are so pitiful and possibly even painful to the ear, why sing to the Lord during family worship?  Why not just read the Scriptures and pray?  

Singing in obedience

For one, we sing to the Lord out of obedience. We’re told in His Word to, “Sing to Him,  sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts” (Psalm 105:2). We’re encouraged to sing for joy  (Psalm 132:9). We see the saints sing praises to the Lord in their suffering (Acts 16:25). We  follow the example of the angels who worship Him day and night (Revelations 4:8). And we  learn from God’s instruction to His church, “…speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and  songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). The  Lord wants us to sing! He commands us to sing. Family worship provides a regular opportunity  to train our children to sing to the Lord as we fix our own gaze on Him during song.  

Singing as nourishment

Furthermore, I think that the Lord commands us to sing to Him because it’s good for us. His Holy Spirit can teach us, convict us, encourage us, and strengthen us through song by reminding us of God’s attributes, His promises, and the Gospel. This is why intentionally  choosing the songs that you’ll sing during family worship is so important. Classics such as “Father Abraham” or “Big House” are fun and catchy but they don’t provide nourishment for the soul, a clear proclamation of the Gospel, or a big view of God. Instead (or additionally), choose songs that will inform your child’s theology because they’ll take root in their hearts for years to come. 

For some reason songs stay lodged in the mind more easily and much longer than non rhythmic words or phrases even including Scripture. I still remember a silly camp song that I learned as a child but it’s incredibly difficult for me to instantaneously recall lyrics from hymns because I didn’t grow up in the church or learn them as a child. When my second daughter was born I was so exhausted during midnight feeds that all I could remember how to sing was the Alphabet and the chorus of Jesus Loves Me. So my toddler still asks me to sing these songs! Oh how I wish she’d request songs like In Christ Alone or Amazing Grace. Through family worship we are storing these profound lyrics in their hearts, which will help them when they’ll need it most.  

Singing through suffering

For centuries the Lord has used song to minister to believers in the midst of their suffering. In her book, The Shaping of a Christian Family, Elisabeth Elliot writes, “In times of deep distress I have been sustained by the words of hymns learned in family prayers. My friend Arlita Winston tells me her method for keeping depression and demons away: sing hymns! When three men were being taken out to be used as targets for bayonet practice in a Japanese prison camp, the men remaining sang “Abide with Me” to give the three courage to endure torture and death. Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples when He was on His way to Gethsemane. How thankful I have been in the dark hours that my parents saw to it that hymns  became fixed in our minds and hearts, through what was to us at the time merely a family routine.” We would be wise to equip our precious children with such weapons. 

Would it be a more enjoyable experience to sing with talent and ease? In unison and the intended pitch? With instruments? Perhaps. Yes. Absolutely. But I treasure these moments in my heart as I listen to my two-year-old passionately yell, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty!” or see my four-year-old pretend to sing praises from the song booklet long after family worship has ended. And as I look to the future, I hope in faith that the Lord uses these songs to minister to them and glorify Him long after I’m gone. 

Katlynne Mirabal is a pastor’s wife, serves as the children’s ministry director at Seacoast Community Church in Portsmouth, NH. She is also the host of the Miss Teacher Mom podcast, which endeavors to encourage and equip moms to raise their kids with eternity in mind.