Family Worship Guide
Sunday, April 12, 2020
SING
READ
Psalm 100:1-5 (ESV)
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
WATCH
ASK
Parents, ask your children what they are thankful for.
Read to them the excerpt from Matthew Henry’s diary after he was robbed.
Let me be thankful. First, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my wallet, they did not take my life. Third, because although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.
Q: What gave Matthew Henry joy in the midst of his circumstances?
A: A thankful heart.
A person who is thankful in all circumstances is a person who finds Joy in all circumstances.
I. How Should We Give God Thanks?
Parents, ask your children how they give thanks to other people.
Q: What are the three ways the psalmist mentioned that we can give thanks to God?
A:
- We are to make a joyful noise to the Lord.
(The Hebrew word means to make a glad shout, such as loyal subjects might utter when the king appears among them.)“Our happy God should be worshipped by a happy people.”
–Charles Spurgeon - We are to serve Him.
(The Hebrew word describes the function of a servant or a slave to his owner. It also describes one’s worship.) - We are to come into His presence joyfully singing.
“It is not happiness that brings thanksgiving, rather it is thanksgiving that brings happiness.”
II. Why Should We Give God Thanks?
In verse 3, the psalmist tells us that we must know God whom we are thanking. In other words, our thanksgiving to God must be intelligent. When we grow in a deep meaningful relationship with God, we are aware of the reasons why we ought to thank Him.
Q: What are the two things that we must know about God that would allow us to thank Him?
A:
- Knowing God as Creator.
As Creator, God created us in His own image. We can know who we are by knowing God. - Knowing God as Shepherd.
As Shepherd, God leads, guides, and protects His sheep. We are thankful to God as Shepherd because He never leaves us nor forsakes us.
PRAY
–Pray, thanking God for something in your life.
–Pray, thanking God that He is Creator and Shepherd.
–Pray for God to continue to work in the lives of your children so that they can be saved. If they are already saved, pray that they will continue to find their identity in Christ.
–Pray for the church members that they will learn to trust God in this time.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Again, we’d like to direct your attention to our resources page for more info on family devotions.
Here are some coloring sheets, a word search puzzle, and a handwriting sheet that you can print out for your child. These are all meant to be aids to help you with your child(ren). Feel free to print some of these or all of these, whatever will work best for your specific child and his or her age.