A Prayer for Adherence to God's Commandments

"3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." - Exodus 20:3-17

$"3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." - Exodus 20:{verse.verse_number}$

O Lord God Almighty,

As we gather in Your holy presence, we come before You with reverence and awe. We are reminded of the profound words spoken in Exodus 20:3-17, where You laid before Your people the fundamental principles that govern our relationship with You and with one another. We humbly seek Your guidance and strength to uphold these commandments in our daily lives, so that we may truly honor You as our God and the Creator of all that is good.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Lord, in a world filled with distractions and temptations, help us to keep our focus solely on You. Teach us to recognize the idols that vie for our attention—be it material possessions, relationships, or ambitions. May we declare with unwavering conviction that You alone are our God, the source of our strength and purpose. Guard our hearts against the allure of false gods, and instill in us a deep devotion to You, our first love.

For You are a jealous God, O Lord. You desire our undivided affection. Your Word reminds us that You visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. We acknowledge that our actions and choices impact not only our lives but also the lives of those who come after us. Prompt us to live in such a way that we may pass down a legacy of faith and obedience, that our children may see Your goodness and mercy in our lives. We cling to the promise that You show mercy unto thousands of them that love You and keep Your commandments. Let us be part of that multitude, ever striving to live in accordance with Your will.

Lord, we beseech You to empower us to honor Your name. You command us, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Forgive us for the times we may have spoken Your name lightly or used it without the awe and respect it deserves. Help us to bear Your name with dignity and integrity, that our words may reflect Your holiness and truth. May our every action testify to Your greatness and lead others to seek You.

Teach us the importance of rest, O God, as You remind us in Your command to remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Help us to carve out sacred time in our busy lives to reflect on Your creation and acknowledge Your resting after a week of labor. In those moments of stillness, may we find renewal of our spirits and a deeper connection with You. Let the sabbath be a time of peace when we can gather with loved ones to worship and praise Your holy name.

In our relationships with others, instill in us a spirit of honor, as You commanded us to honor our father and our mother. Teach us to value and respect our parents, recognizing their role in our lives. May Your love flow through our families, transforming our homes into havens of grace and understanding.

Lord, guide us away from the depths of sin, as You command us not to kill, not to commit adultery, not to steal, and not to bear false witness against our neighbor. Help us to appreciate the sanctity of life, to cherish our relationships, and to uphold the truth, honoring our commitments and integrity. Strengthen us against the inclinations of the flesh that lead us to covet what belongs to others. Teach us the virtue of contentment and gratitude, recognizing the blessings we have in our own lives.

May we find joy in obedience, knowing that Your commandments are a reflection of Your perfect love and wisdom. Inspire us to strive for holiness, not out of obligation, but in response to the overwhelming grace You have bestowed upon us. Let our lives shine brightly, reflecting Your light in a dark world, as we endeavor to walk in Your ways.

All glory and honor belongs to You, Lord, forever and ever. Amen.

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Exodus 20:3-17 Artwork

Exodus 20:3-17 - "3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”"

"3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”" - Exodus 20:3-17

Exodus 20:3 - "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me." - Exodus 20:3

Exodus 17:3

Exodus 3:20 - "And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go."

Exodus 20:17 - "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."

Exodus 3:17 - "And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey."

Exodus 17:3 - "And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?"