Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 "As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. 2 Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.
3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool."
I first paid attention to this passage a few weeks ago on a beach trip. I was asking God to give me insight into worship because I was so confused with all the ways people were telling me to worship. As I read it, I didn't like it. I don't like NOT speaking my mind-it rarely happens. I started soaking it up, though, because after all, wasn't what I had asked God for? He showed me a few things:
1. He has something better to say.
Do you ever get into a conversation with a friend who never stops talking about themselves or what they are going through? The whole time you've had some advice to offer them, but they just won't shut up so you can tell them that you are there to help them through it? Maybe you have, maybe you haven't, but I know we can be "that friend" a lot in our relationship with God. A lot of times, all we think to do in prayer or conversation with Him is to complain about our situation, ask for favors and reach for his pocket rather than his heart. It's just the natural thing for our flesh to do. It takes the unatural, the Holy Spirit in us to break that barrier and listen. If we would stop talking, we just might know His voice well enough to hear what He wants to say. Undoubtedly, his words will never steer us wrong. He loves it when we pour our hearts out, but in His church is where He wants to speak.
2. His house is holy.
Walking into God's house is first of all, a great privilege, seeing that in many countries, you can be killed for it. Taking advantage of God's house by polluting it with our complaints is not what should happen.The Church is a place for broken people and it's where people are healed and put back together, but it is also God's house. You wouldn't pollute a hospital with garbage, so don't pollute the church with it either. Sit in a moment with God and learn to enjoy His presence.
3. He doesn't need me, I need Him.
I like the way the Message version puts it in verse 2. "God's in charge-not you." I have problems, you have problems. We all have problems. The biggest problem when we have a problem is that we try to solve it all by ourselves! When I was a kid, I remember always telling my dad, "I can do it by all myself!" I tried, but when I let my dad, who had much more experience and knowledge about the situation, help me it was not as broken as when I tried alone. I still do that to God too. It's hard for me to accept help in anything, even when I really need it! I'm a work in progress just like you and He's shown me that when I try to fix myself "by all myself" I come back with the same problem because it wasn't fixed properly. He's my Perfect Dad who mends all and heals all. I'm good at breaking things, but fixing is one of His specialties.
So, really, this passage of scripture had nothing to do with my style of worship, rather my heart. The first step to finding the "right" way to worship starts with your heart. Where is your heart when you stand before God? Focused on you or on Him?
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