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“ ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.’ “

Deuteronomy 5:16, ESV

As Moses prepared the people of Israel to enter the Promised Land, he reminded them of the commandments that God had given them on Mount Sinai. As we look in our world today, the question is, what does it mean to honor? It does not say to honor your father and mother only if they are good parents and listen well, or do or follow God well. It does not say honor the parents who do honorable things. It says honor your father and mother. And with it comes a promise, a promise of long life, as we are given a calling and a guide to honor the first authority God places in our lives, our father and our mother. Honor is not something necessarily earned, as we like to think in this day and age. Some are in authority over us, that we are to honor, regardless of their character, but because of their position. The position they hold, though we do not have to agree with everything that they do, we are called to honor them, honor the authority, and honor their position. And in that we are called to pray for them if they make error and mistakes. We are called to offer positive, healthy words of correction where needed and learn from them what it is that we are meant to know. For when we honor authority, a promise is always given as we look to God for his protection and his guidance in the world. Our Lord has given us this command, this word, not as something which we should be shackled by. but to let us live freely in His glory and His honor, knowing that His promises, the one true Father, the one true Holy One, the greatest authority given for us, will lead us into His glory and give us His peace.

Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.