Saint Stuart
December 29, 2022

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7 ESV)

I’ve come to understand this commandment as refraining from saying God’s name as an expression of frustration, as in saying a curse word. In doing so, we invoke His holiness in the midst of reacting in failure to a problem and leave it at that. In vanity, with selfish ambitions in mind, we say God’s name and no more. To escape that sin I have learned to run such expressions into a prayer, and I have experienced much deliverance as a result.

“Oh my God…” I would say in frustration, then realise my sin and change my attitude by adding to what I just said and turning it into a prayer “…thank you for the means by which I can resolve this situation.” I felt released after that. It turned from me habitually saying His name without any sentiment of respect or reverence as a reaction to frustration, to saying a prayer as a means to instead resolve that frustration. In a similar way I learned to refrain from using all expressions of frustration and confusion by stating my intentions to be useful instead of defeated.

God knows the way to all solutions and victories, so using His name in our personal turmoil without looking to Him for resolve does not make sense.