Ecclesiastes 5:1, 2 
“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.” (NIV)

“As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. 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.” (NLT)

“Watch your step when you enter God’s house. 
Enter to learn. That’s far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice, 
Doing more harm than good. 
Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think. 
Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear. 
God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better.” (MSG)

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These words are so good. I enjoy reading them every year. It doesn’t get much better than this. 

“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart . . .”  

Or as The Message puts it, 

“Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think.”

Sometimes the best prayers are silent. 

Sometimes the best prayers are wordless. 

Sometimes silence is the best option. 

It’s important to listen deeply to the people in our lives. How much more important is it to listen deeply to our God? He doesn’t often shout. He most often whispers. If we’re going to hear him, we’ll have to lean in and listen patiently and deeply. Is it worth it? 

I can’t get past the idea that the less I speak, the better. This is true in a worship context like these verses address. It is also true in just about every other context. 

I have an acquaintance who often chides me for sitting so silently so often. He’s happy to fill the air with all kinds of opinions and thoughts and complaints and burdens and so on. I’m not nearly as irritated as he is about every single thing. I was kind of hoping my silence, in contrast to his noisiness, would help him understand something that he seems to be missing. 

It hasn’t yet. Maybe I ought to say something. And, then again, maybe not. 

The less I tell God what I think, the more I understand what he thinks. This makes it possible for me to think His thoughts after Him. This makes it possible for me to think His thoughts as my own thoughts. Truly, my best thinking comes when I am silent, listen to God’s truth, and speak it and live it as my own. 

In God’s presence, silence is wisdom. 

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I will cultivate appropriate silence so that I may learn God’s wisdom and allow it to shape everything I think, do, and say. 

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Our Father in Heaven, thank you for the gift of silence. Thank you for speaking to us in those moments when we truly lean in to listen. Teach us to quiet our hearts, to stop our speech, and to think your thoughts after you. Give us ears to hear what you are saying that will shape our hearts and minds, our will and our ways. Amen.