 Show
March 2019 March 2019 You have {{ remainingArticles }} free {{ counterWords }} remaining.You've accessed all your free articles. Unlock the Archives for Free Request your free, three-month trial to Tabletalk magazine. You’ll receive the print issue monthly and gain immediate digital access to decades of archives. This trial is risk-free. No credit card required. Try Tabletalk Now Already receive Tabletalk magazine every month? Verify your email address to gain unlimited access. {{ error }}Need help? Prayer is the natural impulse of faith and the vigilant devotion of hope. In prayer, we pour out our hearts’ desires to God in adoration, confession, petition, intercession, and thanksgiving as we submit ourselves to His will. Prayer is a passionate affair. It involves all of who we are and aspire to be before God. It is no surprise, then, that the full scope and force of life’s passion is taken up in prayer. Those in step with the Spirit display patience and self-control in all things, but faithful disciples also take their anger, frustration, anguish, bewilderment, and even their unbelief and despair to God in prayer. As we do, we might find ourselves crying aloud to the Lord, or we might find our words failing us. Encouragingly, there is no biblical reason to believe that praying out loud is more or less effectual than praying silently. We may do either. Scripture is full of examples of public prayers offered on all sorts of occasions, from Solomon’s long prayer at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8) to Christ’s four-word cry of agony (and unshaken hope) from the cross (Matt. 27:46). Yet, Jesus also taught His disciples that our Father hears prayers offered silently or in secret, and Paul tells us the Spirit who strengthens our faith and hope through prayer also intercedes for us with groans too deep for words (6:5–6; Rom. 8:26). There are, however, good reasons why we would do well to pray silently on some occasions and aloud on others. Jesus, for example, warns His disciples about the hypocrites who love to pray in public places in order to be seen by others. Being thought holy, Jesus notes, is all the reward they will receive (Matt. 6:5). Hypocrites are devoid of secret prayer; the one who loves God, however, is constant in secret prayer—and ready to pray aloud when a proper occasion arises. And the occasion will arise. Prayer, as a core devotion of the church (Acts 2:42), is not just a private act of individual believers but a shared activity. One way we share in prayer is to pray out loud with others for mutual encouragement and edification. Prayer also should be taught. Jesus taught the disciples how to pray by instruction and by example. So also, ministers teach those whom they serve, parents teach their children, and we all teach one another as we pray together. Love for others, in other words, will compel us not just to pray for them in secret but at times to pray aloud with them in their hearing. However we pray, we are confident that our God cares for us and always hears the prayers of His people. Dr. Bruce P. Baugus is professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich., and a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He is author of Reformed Moral Theology. Is it better to pray out loud or silent? Silent prayer vs loud prayer tends to be a matter of opinion and preference among Christians. Examples of this within the Bible include all the prayers that are credited to Jesus. Had he said those prayers in silence, we wouldn’t have the wealth of knowledge that is contained within each of them. Most of our prayers are moulded on the prayers of our Lord and Saviour. They are moulded around how he communicated with the father. Who are you praying to
Considering that God is omnipresent. That saying that no matter how you choose to communicate with him he will understand and hear you. The first thing to consider when discussing the silent prayer versus loud prayer is who these prayers are being sent to. If you’re praying to the Lord our God, there isn’t much of a need to shout about it. Unless of course, this is a prayer that is being done in a corporate setting. In which case, loud prayer is for the edification of the body of Christ. Praying in AgreementAdding to the previous point about the body of Christ. The scripture tells us that where two or more meet in his name, he is present. It also tells us that whatever we agree to bind or to loose on this earth is bound in heaven. As such, the only way that we could facilitate such agreement in prayer is through prayer that others can hear and agree with. The Example of the PhariseesGoing back to the point about who you are praying to. It is easy to get caught up in your surroundings. In such a manner that you would find yourself praying more for the pleasure of the people around you instead of pouring your heart out to the Lord. Luke 18:9-14New International VersionThe Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018%3A9-14&version=NIV Jesus teaches about this through the example of the Pharisees. How they would pray aloud. In a manner that was boastful and filled with pride. Their prayers were said in a way that those around them could hear of their virtuous ways. “They have gotten their reward already.” We know that God sees what is done in secret. He hears what is said in secret places and rewards us publicly. The Prayer ClosetThe secret place mention above is what is often referred to as the prayer closet. It is in such places that God works mighty things. We know that Jesus would often draw away from the crowds, to spend time alone in prayer and contemplation. It is in that place where the miracles that we see would have been birthed. To Pray or not to pray aloud?LutherMartin Luther was known to have prayed aloud. It is said that he did this because he “wanted even the devil to hear him pray.” He was a man that was at odds with the church of his day. In his quest to keep the church as pure as Christ would have wanted it, he made enemies of the Catholic Church. His loud prayers would have been in defiance of this. It is said that his enemies feared his prayers! DanielOne of my favourite examples of this is the case of Daniel. At a time when prayer had been outlawed, he was found guilty of praying! He would have stood in defiance of the king’s edict and prayed. He did so with his window open. His enemies heard him pray. We all know how that ended! Daniel 6:9-11International Standard Version9 So King Darius signed the edict contained in the written document. Daniel is Accused10 When Daniel learned that the written document had been signed, he went to an upstairs room in his house that had windows opened facing Jerusalem. Three times a day he would kneel down, pray, and give thanks to his God, just as he had previously done. 11 The conspirators then went as a group and found Daniel praying and seeking help before his God. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%206%3A9-11&version=ISV HannahWe know that when Hannah desperately prayed to the Lord that she may have a sign, she did so silently. The priest even thought that she was drunk. Yet, the Lord heard her prayer and stretched his loving hand to change her situation. The Need for silent prayerYou have probably heard prayer described as dialogue. Some of the most critical decisions and clear communication to come from God comes in our moments of silence. That comes when we learn to quieten ourselves and listen to him. Remember that you are speaking to someone that you know. It is someone that adores you. Sometimes we are deprived of God’s voice because we have become too fond of hearing our own. It is not always a bad thing. You may even have the best of intentions. King Saul had the best intentions when he decided to go to war to protect the Lord’s people instead of waiting for the prophet’s arrival. He stepped into an office that wasn’t his. He played a role that he was not meant to play. It cost him his legacy. What are some of the things that you may be missing out on because you are speaking when you should be listening? One of the things that silent prayer gives you are moments of truth. You are on your own with God. The natural tendency of human beings to please others is placed aside. To concludeDo not be like the Pharisees. Check the condition of your heart and what drive you to pray silently or indeed loudly. Silent prayers yield results! Loud prayers yield results! The volume of your prayer is not a sign of your faith. Another aspect to take into consideration is what type of prayer you are engaged in. Passionate prayer such as Luther’s was done alone. It was focused on the Holy Spirit and on his Savior Jesus. Choose your weapon. May God elevate your prayer life. Does it matter if you pray out loud?There is power in praying aloud, so although silent prayers may be more comfortable for you, you should try to give voice to them when you can.
Is it better to pray in silence?Silence and solitude are essential aspects of contemplative prayer, a practice of prayer that waits on God and trusts in God's present love and grace. While silence can be especially helpful in becoming attentive to God while praying, it is hardly an excuse to remain aloof from the needs of our neighbors.
What does the Bible say about silent prayer?We might think of “silent prayer” as communicating with God not by speaking words aloud but by saying them in our minds. But prayer does not always require words. In fact, Jesus cautioned that using “many words” in prayer could become like babbling (see Matthew 6:7).
|
Praying out loud vs praying silently
Copyright © 2024 ShotOnMac Inc.
