“Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.”
The Tongue
The Preacher names this instruction specifically regarding speech before God, worth noticing directly, this whole book’s discipline of guarded speech applying not only to conversations with others, but to prayer itself, worth examining whether your own approach to prayer has included this same, needed restraint.
Notice for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth, the specific reasoning given, appropriate humility before this genuine, real distance, worth holding against however much your own prayers have included careless, hasty speech, assuming familiarity that has quietly forgotten this described, actual gap.
This is worth applying honestly to your own recent prayer life, examining whether words have been offered hastily, rashly, without this described, appropriate reverence, rather than this verse’s own instruction, let thy words be few, deliberate, unhurried, genuinely reverent speech, even, especially, in prayer.
Consider today practicing this specific instruction in your own prayer, not eliminating genuine, honest speech to God, but bringing this same deliberate discipline this whole book has been exploring, few, unhurried, reverent words, rather than hasty, rash speech that has, perhaps, forgotten the actual gap this verse names.
Guard Your Words
- Examine your own recent prayers, considering whether hasty or rash speech has characterized them.
- Practice deliberate, reverent, unhurried prayer today, following this verse’s own specific instruction.
- Consider what appropriate humility before God might mean for how you actually speak to him.
Prayer
Lord, let me not be rash with my mouth before you. You are in heaven, and I am upon earth. Let my words to you be few, deliberate, and genuinely, appropriately reverent. Amen.
Carry this today
Guarded speech applies to prayer itself, not only conversations with other people.