Proverbs 18:2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

We all know talkers. People who like to talk, talk, talk. It’s hard to get a word in edgewise!

The Bible never condemns talking, but it does warn against a person who talks at the expense of listening to others! In other words, it’s okay to use your mouth – as long as you also use your ears and your brain! A person who treats a conversation as only a chance to share their opinion is regarded by God’s Word as a fool.

Calling someone a “fool” is one of the harshest insults in all of Scripture, and it almost always refers to someone who is completely and totally self-centered. Psalm 14:1 tells us that “the fool says in his heart: there is no God.” A person who is that self-absorbed denies even the plainly-seen evidence of God. “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” [Romans 1:20]

Most of us aren’t like the fool when it comes to our conversations with other people. We listen to what they have to say, and seek to understand what interests and motivates them. But what about when it comes to our conversations with God? How many of us have been foolish in our prayers, only voicing our opinions to God about what we think He should do or how we think He should act?

Friends, if this is true, then let us each strive to be less foolish as we pray. Let us enter into prayer seeking the understanding that God provides. Let us take pleasure in learning and obeying the will of God, and let us spend less time talking about our opinions.