Ecclesiastes Chapter 5: Verses 1-2 (NIV)
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.
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.
If you asked regular “churchgoers” why they go to church, I think you’d get a variety of responses. In my Grandparents’ Day it was very much considered the right thing to do, but sadly for many it was an opportunity to show face and look like they were doing the right thing. Once Sunday was over, many people didn’t give God a thought for the rest of the week. I’m sure that is still the case for some people.
But for Christians who are seeking to have a genuine relationship with God, it is a place to go and join other like-minded people in giving to God worship and praise. That is indeed a right and proper thing to do.
But even going to worship we can do so with a wrong attitude. As a Christian now for many years, I love a good time of praise and worship, but I need always to remember the words that I’m singing and who I’m singing them to. I need to be careful not to get caught up in the atmosphere of what I always heard referred to as a “good meeting”.
Solomon says our preparation to go to God’s house begins before we even get there. We need to guard our steps. In other words, how has our behaviour been before we go. Have we rushed around doing many things without giving a thought to where we’re going. Have we been in a good mood, or a bad one? Are we so stressed getting ready to go there that we haven’t seriously prepared ourselves?
And when we get there are we so busy watching all the comings and goings that we need to gather our thoughts when the service actually starts? I know I have been guilty at times of all these things.
Solomon, in his wisdom tells us we should be prepared to listen. What is God, through His minister telling us? And we should be careful of making any decision or promise in the emotion of a moment.
Solomon tells us not to be hasty in our utterances and to let our words be few. Best to let what we’ve heard continue working in our hearts at the end of the service. After all, God doesn’t finish with us when the service is over.
Dear Lord. It is indeed a privilege to come freely to your house, something that is not possible for many persecuted Christians. Help me never to take that for granted and to always come with the right attitude to both praise you wholeheartedly, but also to quiet my heart and thoughts to listen and respond to what You have to say. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.