Living out the 3rd Commandment in our everyday words đ
âOMG.â
âI swear to GodâŚâ
We say these so easily⌠without thinking. But have we ever stopped to consider who weâre referring to?
In our recent family devotion on the 3rd commandment, I was deeply challengedâhow has something sacred, the Lord’s name, become⌠casual?
Even the Lordâs Prayerâwords meant to draw us closer to Godâhave become routine, spoken without reverence, without presence. What if the issue isnât just what we say⌠but how lightly we say it?
This reflection has challenged me to slow down, to be more aware, and to honour God not just in prayerâbut in every word.
Bible reading đ
Exodus 20:7 NIV
âYou shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Reflection đ
Our family Zoom devotion following the 10 commandments continues, and in April we covered the 3rd commandmentâwhich boldly states, âYou shall not use the name of the LORD your God in vainâŚâ (Exodus 20:7).
Itâs a command many of us know well, yet perhaps donât always pause to fully consider. What does it really mean to use Godâs name in vain? Is it only about avoiding obvious misuse, or is there something deeperâsomething that speaks to the posture of our hearts?
Recently, an elderly woman gently reminded me of the importance of saying the Lordâs Prayer with reverence. It was a simple comment, yet it stayed with meâand how fitting that this reminder came during the week of our family devotion, quietly challenging something that had become all too familiar.
How often do we recite the Lordâs Prayer from memory, letting the words flow without truly engaging our hearts? What was given to us as a guide to draw us closer to God can, over time, become routineâspoken, but not always felt.
The 3rd commandment calls us to honour Godâs name, not just in what we say, but in how we say it. As the elder reminded me, even reciting the Lordâs Prayer without deep reverence or intention can become a subtle form of misusing Godâs name. When sacred words are spoken without thought, they risk becoming routine rather than relational.
And it doesnât stop there.
Most times, we donât even realise how casually we use Godâs name. Phrases like âoh my Godââor âOMGââwithout a second thought. But for those of us who believe, we know who we are referring to. There is only one true God. Yet how often do we speak His name without reverence, without awareness?
At other times, we make promises using Godâs nameââI swear to Godââspoken quickly, but not always kept. In doing so, we attach His holy name to words that may lack truth or follow-through. What should carry weight becomes empty.
All of this gently reveals how easily the sacred can become familiar⌠and how familiarity, if we are not careful, can lead to carelessness.
The Lordâs Prayer begins with âOur Father.â In these words, we are invited into both intimacy and reverence. He is near, yet He is holy. As we continueââhallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be doneââwe are reminded that prayer is not centered on us, but on God.
It realigns us.
It humbles us.
It draws us back.
Then, in grace, the prayer brings us to our daily dependenceâour needs, our forgiveness, our struggles, and our protection. Each line carries meaning. Each phrase invites us to slow down. Perhaps the quiet challenge for us today is not to say more, but to say what we already know more intentionally. To pause. To be present. To truly consider what we are sayingâand who we are saying it to.
God is not looking for perfect words, but for sincere hearts. Reverence is about awareness and honouring Him not only in prayer, but in the way we speak every day.
So today, may we not rush the sacred. May we guard our words more carefully. May we honour Godâs name in our prayers, actions and speech.
And may we remember that when we speak to God, we are stepping into something holyâand that we are not to use His name in vain, but to honour Him with reverence, sincerity, and a heart fully present before Him.
âThis, then, is how you should pray:
âOur Father in heaven,
hallowed be your nameâŚââ
â Matthew 6:9 (NIV)
Prayer đ
Iehova e, ai emai Lohiabada,
tanobada idoinai oi ladamu vada e namo herea, oi hairaimu na guba ai vada o atoa.
Natudia karukarudia, rata e inumu memerodia, ududia amo goada vada o hadaia, e inai henimumu taudia daidiai; inai tauna bona dika davana ma e haloua tauna oi ese ba hatuidia totona.
Emu guba name itaia, oi imamu kwakikwakidia ese e karaia, hua bona hisiu danu oi ese o atodia: Taunimanima be dahaka oi ese o laloamu? taunimanima natuna be daika oi ese o igoa itamu?
Vada o karaia, Dirava ese sisina mo ia e hereaiamu; hairai bona hemataurai ia kwarana vada o havavalaia,
Oi imamu amo o kara ḥaudia iboudiai vada o henia, baine biagudia, ḥau iboudiai ia aena henudiai vada o atodia: mamoe bona boromakau iboudiai, uda boromadia danu,
atai manudia bona davara gwarumedia, bona gadobada daladia ai e loamu ḥaudia iboudiai.
Iehova e, ai emai Lohiabada, tanobada idoinai oi ladamu vada e namo herea.
Salamo 8.1-9
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalms 8:1-9 NIV
Amen đ
To God be the glory always â¤ď¸
Idau Hahine 