Ecclesiates 5:1-7
Trusting God is a non-negotiable term in our "Quiet Heart" journey and adventure. In fact, a fundamental purpose of a quiet heart is to nurture and nourish a love-grace relationship. We often violate this trust when we do not take God seriously. Humanly, nothing is more insulting and hurting than to not be taken seriously.
Solomon brings to light some issues pertaining to our attitude towards God which we have taken lightly. Our mouths say one thing, our hearts mean another... then our actions reveal the betrayal of trust. Let us allow the Lord to lead us with a quiet heart so we can see from within of whatever is happening. As the song says... "when you can't trace His, hand trust His heart... Here, we reflect with a quiet heart on the issue of trusting God. Let us quietly learn our lessons, underline the warnings and quietly change lane from the wrong to the right lane. Learning trust and nourishing it is done with a quiet heart. When we say quiet, it does not mean having no words... it means more simplicity and grace, discreet, not showy; deep, not loud.
We need to have the following 'Quiet' principles incorporated into our everyday lives as a quiet practice of a life transformed by God
1. Quiet reverence before the presence of God (v. 1-2). It means we take God seriously especially when entering His house for worship. It is important not only to be present in terms of attendance, it is also important to have reverence for God in terms of attitude. To be in the house of God means remembering that there is a difference between an attender and a worshiper. Spiritual preparation is needed. Taking God seriously in worship means having a hunger for God and being excited to be in His Presence. Spiritual passion is expressed in drawing near to God to listen rather than to talk. The life application bible commentary says it like this "when we enter the temple we should go with an attitude of being open and really listen to God, not to dictate to Him what we think He should do." I find it helpful to come a little bit earlier before the church service starts to spend time in quiet meditation, so I enter His Presence not harassed, and before leaving the church, it is good to linger a little bit longer after the minister has given the benediction to take time to reflect upon what you have heard. Taking God seriously means to restrain from making prayer-less and impulsive promises to God. Watch your words and watch your heart. The vow we make is not to man but to God. Vows are voluntary, not pressured. It is important to pray before you make any vows to God. Unfortunately, many ministers of religion can and have used high-pressure manipulation to make people "vow" as if they were making a promise to God. Learn to resist this, and this is a timely lesson for the church to not manipulate people to give. You are under no obligation to fulfill a vow that you did not voluntarily make. Someone said this along the line of making vows, "vows are voluntary but once made, they are unbreakable".
To cultivate trust and reverence before God means to quietly and honestly review promises you have made before God... prayerfully asking God to remind you of promises you made. I still clearly remember that during my teenage days I promised God that I will honor the day of worship on Sunday by being there in His house, as long as I am able. That vow is liberating because it is not forced on me. I made it out of God's love to me and in response, I made a promise. Did you make promises to God? Take a moment to review it. It is important that we don't become defensive... as God convicts, repent, not rationalize. Humbly ask for grace to fulfill it.
Finally, with a quiet heart, respond to God in repentance to restore and redeem a broken vow, a damaged trust, before dishonesty become a lifestyle. When one is not true to His vows to God, it will have a ripple effect on his promises to others. Fulfilling vows to God train us to be truthful regarding our promises to others, to our family, to our friends and to creditors. I want to insert this... that financial decisions are spiritual decisions too. At the end of the day, we reap the benefits of character and living a much more peaceful life when we are true to our promises. Here are some concluding thoughts I want to leave you, dear readers. Take God seriously... Honor His Presence; Take God seriously.... Listen more, talk less in God's house; Take God seriously.... Make no promises out of pressure or impulse. Take God seriously...Honestly review promises to God and others; Take God seriously.... Find an opportunity to restore what you have taken which you know is not yours.
Thanks for reading; I write with a quiet heart that is seriously learning to take God seriously.