Ecclesiastes 5:1 says, 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.  Solomon had shown the inability of the things of this world, power, wisdom, wealth and pleasure, to bring purpose to life, and he was now pointing people to worshipping God as the way to purpose in life.  I believe he was saying that we not only need to come to the house of God, but that we need to come earnestly.  We need to be ready to hear what God has to say.  If we bring sacrifices without even listening to what God is saying to us, we are as a fool.  Too often, people go to the house of God to be seen and heard and not to listen.  We are to go to hear God speak to us.  When we truly go for that purpose, we will never be disappointed.  Verse two warns us, 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.  Solomon was telling people that when we come to God in prayer, we must come with reverence.  They were to speak from the heart and not just continually utter words that had no real emotion to them.  The same is true today.  God wants us to bring our sincere concerns to Him, but He already knows our needs.  When our prayers become more about why did you let this happen or I want this or that God, then I believe we are speaking rashly.  We are to come to God humbly, seeking His will and guidance.  Solomon also said that we should let our words be few.  Matthew Henry said this was not to say that prayers shouldn't ever be long, but that they should be sincere and from the heart.  We do not need rehearsed prayers, but sincere prayers.  We are speaking to God, Who is already aware of what we need, and not to people who are listening to what we have to say.  I personally don't believe words from the heart as we speak to God are ever rehearsed.  Prayer should never be a performance, like an actor reciting lines.  It must be heart felt communication between a person and God, and must include our listening to God.  Prayer is not a shopping list, but a seeking of God's will for our life.