With my voice I cry out to the Lord;
    with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. (Psalm 142:1 ESV)

How often do you pray out loud?

This was a question someone recently asked me and it caused me to stop and think. I pray out loud when I am with a small group who are praying. I pray out loud when the Pastor asks me to pray before the church. But I have never prayed out loud during my private prayer times when I am in my “prayer closet”. I began to wonder if that was a good thing to do to enhance my private prayer time.

So I went to my concordance and found many instances where people prayed in a loud voice to God (Ezekiel 11:13). In many of the psalms, the psalmists cry out with their voice to God (Psalm 5:1-3). Jesus prayed out loud when he was on the cross (Matt. 27:46). And in Revelation we see that the angels prayed out loud (Revelation 6:10).

Finding these evidences of people praying with their voice out loud in the Scriptures, I was encouraged to try praying with my voice out loud during my private time in prayer. At first I was a little timid and spoke in a whisper, but eventually I spoke more naturally as speaking to someone in the room with me. I have not gotten to the point where I “cry out loud” to the Lord, but maybe someday, at the appropriate place and time in my worship, I will do so.

My prayer time usually consists of reading Scripture, reading the prayers of saints, intercessory prayer for family and friends, and singing hymns. I have started slowly by voicing a little in each of those categories. I find that my prayer time has gotten more heart-felt. Andrew Murray writes that we should pray with our whole heart. He says God lives and listens to every petition with His whole heart (Ps. 66:19). Praying out loud keeps me more focused on Him and increases the intimacy of my prayer time.

I hope you will try to voice some of your prayers the next time you go into your “prayer closet”. Write to me and let me know how it went—good or bad. I would love to hear about your experience.

If you have found this newsletter helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you have learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4:15).