Lord God,
You are the God who speaks.
You gave statutes and commands,
not to burden Your people,
but to bless them.
You called Israel to hear and to do
to live so that the nations would say,
“Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
You are not a silent God.
You reveal Your will in Your Word,
and Your heart in Your law.
You call Your people to holiness,
not to earn Your favor,
but because they already have it.
I confess, Lord,
that I often hear without listening,
and listen without obeying.
Your commands are clear,
but my heart is slow to follow.
I add and subtract from what You have spoken,
as if my wisdom could improve upon Yours.
Forgive me for the pride that edits Your Word,
and the fear that doubts Your goodness.
You told Israel to remember
how You spoke from the fire at Horeb,
how they saw no form,
but heard Your voice.
You revealed Yourself not through idols made by hands,
but through words spoken by Your Spirit.
So teach me again, O Lord,
to love Your voice more than my vision,
to trust what You say more than what I see.
Let my faith rest not on images,
but on the invisible yet unshakable reality of Your presence.
You warned Israel not to forget,
not to let the memory of Your wonders fade from their hearts.
For forgetfulness is the first step toward idolatry.
So write Your truth upon my soul, Lord.
Seal it deeper than circumstance,
engrave it upon my desires,
that I may never trade Your glory for what glitters in this world.
You also revealed Your mercy
that even when Israel would stray,
if they sought You with all their heart,
You would not abandon them.
O God of compassion,
thank You that Your mercy is stronger than my rebellion.
Even when I have turned aside,
You have turned toward me.
Even when I have been faithless,
You have remained faithful.
You alone are God
in heaven above and on earth beneath
there is no other.
You are the consuming fire who purifies,
and the merciful Redeemer who restores.
Let me hold both truths in my trembling hands:
that You are holy beyond approach,
and yet gracious beyond measure.
Teach me, Lord,
to walk in reverence and rest,
to obey not out of fear of punishment,
but out of awe of love.
Let my life be a testimony
that obedience is not bondage,
but freedom under Your care.
Make me a keeper of memory
one who remembers Your deliverance,
tells of Your faithfulness,
and lives in the light of Your mercy.
And when I am tempted to wander,
remind me that there is no other rock,
no other refuge,
no other God who saves.
You alone are worthy of all my heart.
In the name of Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
whose commands are life
and whose mercy is everlasting,
Amen.