A Few More Minutes

Ecclesiastes 5:2....

"Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few."

It's easy to pray the same way we shop: by creating a list. We babble our “must mentions” to God in an effort to return as quickly as possible to our lives. Looking at Eccl. 5:2, the phrase “impulsive in thought” catches my attention. Take the example of a dinner party. If I'm "impulsive in thought" I’m setting the table haphazardly: I compile forks, knives, plates, napkins; anything I can think of, in a jumble on the table. My only "aim" is to convey the false fact "I’ve been planning" to my guests. How utterly inept! In prayer, God is at the head of my table and I’ve placed fork after fork in front of Him without even stopping to thank Him for coming. Prayer can be a chance to get everything out on the table, or a chance to set the stage for a beautiful occasion.

After all, God knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:7-8), therefore, let our words be few. This fact gives us all the wonderful freedom to sit at His feet and listen.

Letting our words be few doesn’t mean that God dislikes hearing our hearts; it’s rather the opposite, I think. God desires for us to relate with Him, and when we ramble, we take Him for granted. We give ourselves the lead role (after all, we know all the lines, right?). So, I think letting our words be few doesn’t limit our conversation, it just sweetens our communication. Without our teapot of a vocabulary steamed up and shouting, maybe we can hear that still, small voice. Hopefully, you caught some of that truth through the "christianese."

Bottom line: I want God’s words to be my words. So I pray, "let my words be few."