September 26, 2024
Andrew Thompson
Dunbar Cave, Campus Pastor
Ecclesiastes 5:2
Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
Have you ever met someone who thinks they always have the answer? Someone who is the first to speak, who always has advice, and is great at telling you where you are incorrect? I love my youngest brother, but I remember everyone in my family giving him a hard time when he was younger for always trying to explain things that everybody knew he knew nothing about! He would offer confident opinions on everything! We have all known someone (or multiple someones!) that are this way. They can be amusing, as was the case with my brother, or they can be the most frustrating person you know. This kind of person is very different from the contemplative quiet person who only offers their thoughts when you directly ask them. When I was in seminary I remember taking classes with brilliant professors. The greatest benefit of being in class with brilliant professors is in getting to ask them questions and to hear their applied wisdom. One of my pet peeves was when someone would ask a question in class and then one of the other students would answer the question before the professor. I wasn’t there to hear their wisdom! I was there to learn from my expert professor.
As I look at this verse in Ecclesiastes, these stories come to mind. So often I am quick to tell God what I need, to ask him to bless my plans, and to not even seek him out because I make my mind up on my own. King Solomon is cautioning people from allowing their relationship with God to be one of all talk and no listening. In all of our plans and decisions, if we are just speaking our prayers and not listening for him to speak, then we are setting ourselves up for failure. If we are seeking wisdom from everyone but God, then we are heading towards disaster. I want to encourage you to spend time to listen to God this week. In your prayers, don’t spend all of your time speaking. Ask the Lord to lead you, and then give yourself room to listen. Do not be hasty to speak. Let your words be few.
Dunbar Cave, Campus Pastor
Ecclesiastes 5:2
Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
Have you ever met someone who thinks they always have the answer? Someone who is the first to speak, who always has advice, and is great at telling you where you are incorrect? I love my youngest brother, but I remember everyone in my family giving him a hard time when he was younger for always trying to explain things that everybody knew he knew nothing about! He would offer confident opinions on everything! We have all known someone (or multiple someones!) that are this way. They can be amusing, as was the case with my brother, or they can be the most frustrating person you know. This kind of person is very different from the contemplative quiet person who only offers their thoughts when you directly ask them. When I was in seminary I remember taking classes with brilliant professors. The greatest benefit of being in class with brilliant professors is in getting to ask them questions and to hear their applied wisdom. One of my pet peeves was when someone would ask a question in class and then one of the other students would answer the question before the professor. I wasn’t there to hear their wisdom! I was there to learn from my expert professor.
As I look at this verse in Ecclesiastes, these stories come to mind. So often I am quick to tell God what I need, to ask him to bless my plans, and to not even seek him out because I make my mind up on my own. King Solomon is cautioning people from allowing their relationship with God to be one of all talk and no listening. In all of our plans and decisions, if we are just speaking our prayers and not listening for him to speak, then we are setting ourselves up for failure. If we are seeking wisdom from everyone but God, then we are heading towards disaster. I want to encourage you to spend time to listen to God this week. In your prayers, don’t spend all of your time speaking. Ask the Lord to lead you, and then give yourself room to listen. Do not be hasty to speak. Let your words be few.
Posted in Daily Devos