I was convicted by this passage when I read it this past Sunday!
At church earlier in the day, Joe and I read some Scripture passages as part of an interactive church service. Ahead of time and during the service, I was a bit distracted in several ways: nerves, making sure the kids were sitting properly, and concerned Joe wasn’t going to remember all that he was supposed to say before and after his reading!
Then,
when I read the following passage during my own quiet time later in the day, I
realized I didn’t guard my steps well while going to God’s house. I wasn’t prepared
to listen to Him and was more concerned about how my family and I sounded.
Ecclesiastes
5:1-7 ]Guard your steps when you go to the house
of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer
the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your
words be few.
3 A dream comes when there are many cares,
and many words mark the speech of a fool.
4 When
you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in
fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is
better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth
lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a
mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your
hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear
God.
I
want to prepare better the next few weekends so I am ready to listen to God at church
and not distracted by my own thoughts or nerves. What about you? How will you
prepare to listen to God, whether it’s at church, Bible study, personal prayer
time or other times of worship?
Our
Faithful God has so much to say to us, if we will just listen! He was faithful
to gently tap me on the shoulder and point out my foolish frenzy from earlier
in the day.
Alice
