Hosea instructs the people of God, when coming before the Lord to, “Take with you words...” They are not to bring sacrificial lambs, but sacrificial lips, “…the calves of our lips,” is how he puts it.
We are to have something to say when we come before Him. If that be the case, it would be wise to heed the old Puritan admonition to, “behink what we are to say in God’s presence.” We certainly would if it were earthly royalty. You don’t ramble on and on when you’re in the audience of a King. That is, unless a person is some kind of a fool.
If asked many Christians, I think, could’t tell you what they said in prayer, five minutes after they have finished their discourse.
My wife and I were once visiting a church. The pastor asked me if I would lead in prayer and ask God’s blessing upon the service. With my head bowed and contemplating what I should say to God, the pastor, thinking I had not heard him said, “Brother Sandlin will you lead us in prayer?” Is this not a good example of what we’re discussing? “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.” Ecc. 5:2
Job tells us, “How forcible are right words.” We are told to reason with God, to present our cause, to make our requests known unto God. This implies both consideration and preparation. We are not to bring with us hollow, empty-sounding words, but words with substance. They need not be eloquent; but they must be sincere; that is, in earnest. They must be words from the heart, or to put it another way, the heart must dictate to the tongue.
Elijah’s few, choice words brought down fire from God. The all day babbling of Baal’s prophets were just that....babbling.
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