A Pattern for the World, Now and Post-Pandemic
I want to give a shout-out for the Ten Commandments! I have come to love those simple expressions of universal Law given to the world through Moses’ encounter with the God of Israel. When I imagine a world in which those precepts govern all human endeavors, I see a beautiful, sane, harmonious world marked by compassion and generosity. My heart yearns to join with others throughout the world and pray for those concepts to take root in the souls of all humans on the face of the planet. It would set our world upright, instead of upside down as it is now.
Being raised as a Christian Protestant, fairly conservative and evangelical in my roots, these commandments have been at the heart of my life always. My mother taught them to me as a young child. Believe me, it did not come across in a way that was warm and fuzzy at that time, though. It was couched in the common views of those times (1940s–50s), with judgment looming behind the words for those who failed to keep them.
She read them to me from a Bible story book with frightful images of doom for transgressors. So, they were almost a source of dread for me—accompanied by a sense of doom because I broke one of them habitually. I had a quick tongue that my mother described as “talking back,” for which I was often punished. So, I knew I failed the commandment of honoring thy father and mother.
As I grew to mercifully understand salvation through Jesus, I slowly lost the frightening images that made the Ten Commandments a list that seemed designed to certainly ensure my judgment. I began to realize that the authors of scripture down through the ages did not view them in frightful terms. The Psalmist said many times: “I delight in Thy Law,” and “Oh, how I love Thy Law.” (Psalm 119:70, 97) Jesus certainly had a positive view of them, saying that He came to fulfill the Law, not abolish it (Matthew 5:17).
The commandments still stand as witness of God’s intent of goodness for the human race and all of creation. Jesus fulfilled them in His own life and calls His followers to love God’s Word, Precepts and Laws by living like He did—in ways that fulfill God’s Commandments, not as rules that we dread or don’t want to do, but as welcomed, life-giving ways of living in love. He did not keep them in Pharisaical, literal, legalistic ways, but in heart-to-hand action. That is His intent for us.
So, what if we were to pray for the world from that viewpoint? What if we prayed from the standpoint that God’s Law is our highest good and a spectacular outline for successful living? What if we began to absolutely love God’s Law rather than fear it or dismiss it as out of step with the world? In these days of disruption, perhaps we can find a way forward by giving attention to them again. In many ways, we will be re-building our culture, so this is a good time to catch the vision of Jesus for God’s Law and lay them as the foundation of our lives.
Here is a sample prayer to get us started. You may not agree with all my interpretations, so please realize that I offer this as an example only. As always, you must pray as God leads you. If this fits for you, use it freely:
I.
Lord God, Giver of the Laws of Life, burden your people throughout the world to change attitudes and actions that put any person, place, idea or thing as a priority before You.
“Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.”
II.
Help people of all nations to tear down false idols of any kind that keep anyone from honoring You first and foremost.
“Thou shalt not worship anything or anyone other than the Lord your God, whether in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”
III.
Bring us to renewed conviction to honor your Holy Name in any of its derivatives and to never use it carelessly, in anger, deceit, in jest, or for any purpose other than worship.
“Thou shalt not misuse the name of the Lord your God.”
IV.
Lord, too long we have gradually and consistently eased away from setting aside a day to honor You and rest from our labor, to pause in the work by which we earn wages. Forgive us and grant us courage to re-imagine our lives with You at the center of even our work commitments. As the entire world has been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, help us all to notice the benefits of having time to honor our bodies, our relationships, and our connection with You. Inspire Your people to lead the way as commerce re-opens, setting aside a day of spiritual, psychological, emotional, and physical renewal—as thanksgiving to You for our lives, families, faith and occupations. May the benefit of slowing down leave its mark on us as a reminder of Your call to take time to be still and know You.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.”
V.
Our Father, who loves us like a Mother, remind us of the debt we owe our mothers and fathers for bringing us into the world. Renew our minds with rightful appreciation that even the least-nurturing mother at least gave us life. Likewise, even the least-supportive father gave us life through his creative energy, whether misplaced or in loving companionship, whether followed with unselfish guidance or painful neglect. Renew our minds with compassion for the hardships they faced, forgiveness for the ways they failed, and joyful thanksgiving for any ways in which they nurtured and supported us. Help us to bless our families, the traditional and the dysfunctional.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
VI.
Lord, Creator of Life, help us to hear this commandment loud and clear. Above all else, help the global community to see the value, worth, equality and dignity of all persons and created beings of all shapes and sizes—from microscopic organisms to the innumerous species of marvelous plants, fish, birds, and animals that populate the planet. Call forth the compassion you have embedded in our human nature, that Image of God with which you created us. Help us to care for the quality of life and quantity of years of each human and all forms of life. Lead us to hold each life as our own—to protect and defend. Teach us how we really can cease from all forms of destruction—war, crime, genocide, pollution, violence and more.
“Thou shalt not kill.”
VII.
Lord, we have fallen victim to the siren call of the worldly culture, depicted for us in alluring ways, and we have committed adultery in our hearts and in our relationships. The first adultery we commit is with You, in loving our own pleasure, beliefs and goals more than your ways. There is flagrant disregard or perhaps uninformed dismissal of the time-honored understanding that sex outside of marriage is adultery in your sight. Return us to rightful understandings of how to honor our bodies and one another by upholding the sanctity and privilege of stable, dedicated, unfractured homes.
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
VIII.
Lord, most of us think we are honest and would never steal, but it is an easy commandment to break. Anything we take from another is a theft—whether monetary, psychological, social, emotional or physical. We can even steal spiritually by undermining another’s faith. We can steal hope, esteem, security, advancement, reputation, acceptance and more. Keep us mindful that we are Your appointed caretakers of all that You have placed in this world for our good, so it is our responsibility to honor the part of the world that other people tend as much as our own.
“Thou shalt not steal.”
IX.
Lord, keep us from the guilt of harming another by words, actions, even body language that give a negative impression of another. Tweak our consciences to be aware of the sly, subtle ways we deceive. Even a little white lie is a deception, and any deception is false testimony about a person or situation. Sadly, deception is a habit of the mind that many people learn early, and it leaves a trail of discontent along the paths of their lives. Forgive us, Lord.
“Thou shalt not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
X.
Lord, you have promised to provide for our needs, so help us be satisfied with a life not measured by how much we have or don’t have. In the wake of this pandemic, when many have lost jobs, businesses, homes, savings and loved ones, help us choose a simpler life rather than starting again to drive ourselves to misery by striving to regain all we lost or getting bogged down in mourning the loss. Help us see the emptiness of “keeping up” with worldly trends, famous people, sensual excitement, power, fortune and fame. Lead us out of this global crisis with renewed commitment to honor the life of the world and live in the ways that build a better society—one in which all people have enough. May our attitudes foster faith, hope and love, to the Glory of God our Defender and Protector—rather than status and wealth.
“Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, his employees, pets or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Lord, You are worthy of our renewed commitment to live as Jesus did, in fulfillment of the meaning and purpose of Your Law of Love. Help us uphold the Spirit of the Ten Commandments as the Spirit of Freedom for love and happiness for all. Your Law gives life in all its abundance. Forgive us for spurning any portion of Your Law and help us live into the fullness of life which You offer. As You summed up the commandments so beautifully, help us to fulfill Your call to love the Lord our God supremely and one another seriously, and—when needed—sacrificially. Amen.
“To love [God] with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12:33 (NIV)
Quotations of scripture are from the NIV, except the commandments which are paraphrased, based on a contemporary reading of Exodus 20:1-17.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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