Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.”

When people pray, entering into the throne room of the Almighty, they should do so with a sense of purpose. Nobody goes into a meeting with someone important without first considering what they are going to say and preparing themselves. Nor do they go in and begin rambling incessantly. We are to enter the house of God carefully, prepared to listen more than we speak. God knows what is in your heart already anyway. He can read your thoughts from afar (Psa. 94:11). God very much desires to meet with us and speak things into our hearts. Too often these ‘get togethers’ end up entirely one-sided. If you are doing all the talking, you are either lecturing God, delivering a “me” list (“and I want this, and I need that…”), or else you are telling God how to do his job (“you need to just ‘fix her wagon’ right now, and I need the money by Friday, and…”). Only a fool would stand before God, who has power to speak life, blessings, and anything else into being, and do all the talking! Remember who he is and where he is. Speak little, praise much and most of all…listen.

Pray: “Lord, forgive the times that I came to you in prayer and didn’t let you get a word in. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in what is going on in my life I forget that in your presence everything shrinks in significance. Nothing I have to say can be near as important as the things I need to hear from you. Father, I am listening…speak to me– Jesus precious name I ask - Amen.”