[Martin Luther is known to have prayed regularly through each of the Ten Commandments. He did so by 1) contemplating the commandment’s teaching, 2) considering how the commandment might lead to thanksgiving, 3) recognizing how the commandment would lead to confession, and 4) praying for empowerment to live out the commandment. In that same spirit, I’ve written a prayer below which reflects on the Eighth Commandment–do not steal (Ex. 20:15)]
You are the LORD my God. You brought my ancestors out of Egypt out of the land of slavery. You have brought me out of my own Egypt, out of other kinds of slavery.
In response, you ask me to no longer be enslaved to the envy of things I do not have, to the lust for items I long for, to the lie that says my self-worth is rooted in my net-worth and to the deception which claims that my pleasure is rooted in my possessions. You ask me to live in a counter-cultural way that stands in contrast to a world that takes what it wants, is never satisfied with what it has, and always confuses “want” for “need.” You ask me to quit the cult of the next-thing. You ask me not to steal.
I thank you LORD my God for the abundant wealth over which you have made me a steward. Thank you for furnace that warms my home on cold nights and for the air conditioner that refreshes my home on oppressive afternoons. Thank you for a refrigerator that’s never truly empty and a pantry that’s almost always full. Thank you for enough friends or family to make me feel like I belong and that I matter. Thank you for labor that rewards me even when it’s laborious. Thank you for a beating heart and a working mind. Thank you for the rising sun and the falling rain. How could I ask for more? Why would I ever strive to take more?
And yet, I have. I do more complaining than I do thanking. That’s stealing. I don’t always put in a full day. That’s stealing. I often buy more than I need and don’t even use what I have. That’s stealing. What you give me to give to others I end up giving to myself. That’s stealing. I offer my time and my friendship to others, but then take it back when it becomes inconvenient. That’s stealing. In these and in many other ways I steal.
Forgive me LORD my God for this sin. Teach me to trust in your provision for me—that you have given me all I need. Teach me to be a part of your provision to others—to cling so lightly to these possessions that you can easily extend them to others. Teach me to focus not on what I wish I had but on what I know I’ve got. May I give you and those around me all I am and all I have because you have already given me all you are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
