Introduction

There’s a hush that falls on the heart when we remember who God is. The ancient preacher of Ecclesiastes takes us by the hand and leads us into that hush. He knows about rushed mornings and restless nights. He knows about hurried hands and harried hearts. And he whispers a needed word to weary souls: slow down in the presence of the Holy One. Let your words be few. Let your ears be open. Let your promises be real.

Have you felt the ache of too many syllables and too little stillness? Have you sensed the weight of promises made in a moment and postponed for months? We come to church with cluttered calendars and crowded minds, and God invites us into a sacred quiet—where worship is wonder, where awe grows again, where our hearts bow before the King who listens when we call.

E.M. Bounds wrote, “God shapes the world by prayer.” That single sentence offers both comfort and calling. Heaven hears. Heaven heeds. And when God’s people come with reverent hearts, thoughtful words, and faithful promises, the Lord meets them with mercy and strength. This is good news for anxious parents and tired students, for saints and strugglers and everyone in between. Your Father is near. Your Father is listening. Your Father loves a humble heart.

So today, as we consider Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, let’s come like children slipping their hand into a Father’s hand. Let’s bring our noise to His nearness and trade it for His peace. Let’s learn the holy art of quiet—where listening comes first, speaking comes slow, and promises become worship. And above all, let’s look to Jesus—gentle and strong, faithful and true—who kept every word He ever spoke and holds fast to every word He speaks over us.

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 (KJV) 1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2 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. 3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. 4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

Opening Prayer Father, we come before You with open hands and honest hearts. Quiet our racing thoughts. Calm our hurried speech. Teach us the beauty of reverence. Give us grace to listen for Your voice and courage to respond with trust and obedience. Where our words have been many, make them meaningful. Where our promises have been delayed, make them durable. Lift our eyes to Jesus, the Faithful and True, who keeps every promise and welcomes us into Your presence. By Your Spirit, shape our hearing, season our speaking, and steady our steps. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Approach God with Reverent Hearts

Reverence starts with where our feet point and where our eyes look. We come near with care. We remember who we meet. We remember He is holy. We remember we are His creatures. That thought shapes the way we stand, sit, and speak. It changes the feel of the room. It settles the heart.

Reverence grows when listening leads the way. Quiet attention is not a trick. It is trust. It says, “Your voice matters more than mine.” It says, “Your wisdom leads and I follow.” When that is real, prayer takes on weight. Worship gains depth. Our thoughts slow. Our hearts soften.

Reverence shows up in our promises too. Words carry life. Commitments carry witness. God takes them seriously. We should also. This is part of fear of the Lord. It is simple honor. It is love that acts.

The Teacher says, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.” That picture is strong. Think of feet that watch where they land. Think of a doorway where you pause and breathe. Think of a heart that says, “I am here for God.” That is how we enter. We come to hear. We come to receive. The impulse to perform weakens. The itch to impress fades. The focus turns to God and His word.

Many people move fast in sacred spaces. The mind wanders. The hands fidget. The mouth wants to fill the air. Ecclesiastes warns about careless motion and careless speech in worship. There is a kind of offering that looks busy and yet misses God. It gives things and time, yet holds back attention and trust. The Teacher calls that folly. Reverence refuses that path. It asks the Spirit to settle us before the service begins. It welcomes the reading of Scripture as the main meal. It treats the sermon as God’s address, not a talk show. It treats prayer as meeting, not a monologue.

Practically, this means we prepare. On the way, we ask the Lord to cleanse our hearts. We set aside the phone for a while. We resist the urge to check messages during songs and prayers. We confess sin quickly and plainly. We sing with understanding. We welcome conviction. We look for one clear word from God to carry home. Small steps like these guard our steps. They turn habit into honor. They turn attendance into adoration.

The Teacher says, “Do not be hasty with your mouth.” He reminds us that God is in heaven and we are on earth. That is not distance without care. That is greatness with nearness. It teaches restraint. It gives prayer a steady pace. Fewer words can carry more faith. Simple words can carry deep love.

When we rush, we say too much and mean too little. We pad our prayers. We add phrases that sound fine and feel thin. The text warns that many words can be a sign of folly. Reverence trims the excess. It helps us pause between sentences. It helps us give thanks before we ask. It helps us confess before we request. It helps us praise without trying to perform.

Silence can be holy. A held breath can be faith. A moment of quiet can be a gift to the soul. In that pause, we remember who speaks first. God has spoken by His word. He speaks by His Spirit. So we listen. Then we answer with clear, honest prayers. “Father, help me.” “Lord, forgive me.” “Thank You for grace.” Such prayers are short and sturdy. They carry trust. They honor God’s throne.

We also watch our speech with people. Careless talk on the way home from church can undo much good. Sharp jokes about the service. Harsh takes about others. Loose promises to pray that never become prayers. Reverence reaches into these places. It trains the tongue. It asks, “Is this true? Is this kind? Is this needed?” That question slows the spread of empty words.

The Teacher speaks of vows. In his day, people made solemn promises to God. They pledged gifts. They pledged service. They pledged action. The warning is clear. Do not stall. Do not delay. Finish what you pledged. God has no delight in empty promises. This is wisdom for us as well.

We make quiet vows all the time. “I will read Scripture each morning.” “I will forgive that person.” “I will give this amount.” “I will serve there.” The text urges follow-through. Reverence puts a date and time on the pledge. Reverence names a place and a plan. Reverence asks a trusted friend for help. Reverence writes down the promise and prays over it until it is done.

The Teacher even says it is safer to refrain from pledging than to speak and fail. This is not cold. It is kind. It protects the heart from guilt. It protects God’s name from shame. So we keep our yes small and steady. We give promises that fit our season and our strength. We stretch in faith, yet we do not boast. We do not bargain with God. We serve Him because He is worthy. We pay what we promise because His name is holy.

If we have failed, we do not hide. We return to God with a clear confession. We make amends where we can. We rebuild trust with time and truth. Reverence does not excuse failure. Reverence seeks mercy and then acts. The Lord meets that posture with help.

The Teacher warns, “Do not allow your mouth to lead your flesh into sin.” He forbids the quick excuse: “It was a mistake,” said before the messenger of God. Words can move the hands into wrong. Words can unravel good work. God hears. God judges with wisdom. This sobers us. It also guides us.

Today we make excuses with ease. “I misspoke.” “I was tired.” “You took it wrong.” Ecclesiastes says this pattern brings loss. The work of our hands can suffer under the weight of our words. What rebuilds? A steady fear of God. Not panic. Not dread. Holy respect. Eager obedience. Daily honor.

The Teacher adds a final nudge. Many dreams and many words can be empty. Fantasies and chatter fill the air and do little good. Reverence cuts through the fog. It teaches us to choose reality over make-believe. It teaches us to choose faithful action over endless talk. It teaches us to say less and do what we say.

This kind of fear of the Lord reshapes a week. It calms speech at home. It weighs posts on a screen before we press send. It steadies church meetings. It purifies prayers. It invites the Spirit to govern our tongue, our plans, and our pace. It keeps us near the Savior, whose words stand true and whose promises hold.

Speak Less and Listen for His Voice

Here the Teacher slows our pace and points us toward listening ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO