4 Reasons to Pray Out Loud
Many people are hesitant to pray out loud, and much of that hesitation comes from a fear of what others might think. Now, some people would say, “Don’t worry about what others think.” However, that advice wouldn’t be biblical. In the Bible, the primary purpose of praying out loud seems to be focused on what others think.
We should be concerned about what others think when we pray, but we shouldn’t be concerned with what others think about us. We should be concerned with what others think about God as a result of our prayer. To show you what I mean, let’s look at 4 reasons to pray out loud from 4 different biblical texts.
1. Our prayers teach others how to pray.
In Luke chapter 11, Jesus’ disciples come to him and say, “Lord, teach us to pray.” How Jesus responds to this request is very interesting. He doesn’t offer them a sermon or a book on prayer. He doesn’t direct them to attend a 3-day prayer conference. He simply prays. Of course, what follows is Luke’s recording of The Lord’s Prayer, and we could learn many things by studying the details of this famous prayer. But I think there is something else to learn from Jesus’ response as a whole. When his disciples wanted to learn how to pray, Jesus prayed. He prayed out loud so his disciples could hear him, and he clearly wanted his own words to inform the prayers of his disciples. The same is true for us. When we pray out loud and others hear us, they are learning how to pray. We should make sure that we are following Jesus’ example because others will be following ours.
2. Our prayers strengthen the faith of others.
Paul made it clear in his letter to the Philippians that he saw his life as necessary for the faith of others. He says, “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith.” (Philippians 1:24-25) Prayer was certainly one way that Paul worked to strengthen the faith of others. Consider Paul's prayer at the end of Ephesians chapter 3.
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Paul takes the time to not only tell the Ephesians that he is praying for them, but also he makes extra effort to explain what he is praying for them. Like Jesus’ example we could learn much by studying Paul's words, but I want to point out that again like Jesus Paul wants to accomplish his goals not just by his prayer but through his prayer. We should make praying out loud a common practice for the same reason. The faith of others will be strengthened through our words and the help of the Holy Spirit who moves in response to our prayer.
3. Our prayers lead others to Jesus.
Right before he raises Lazarus from the dead, Jesus prays a strange prayer. He says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” (John 11:41-42) Why does Jesus pray the way he does? Jesus wanted others to hear him pray so they would believe that he was sent by God. We can have the same goal in our prayers. We can pray and live in such a way that others are led to Jesus. One way to do this is to let those who are lost hear you pray for their salvation. Last week’s article offered 4 ways to pray for the lost. You can find a link to that article below.
4. Our prayers show others the glory of God.
During his Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Surely, prayer is one of the good works that Jesus has in mind. So, one reason to pray out loud is that others will see our light when they hear our prayers, and our light is supposed to show them the glory of God. Do others see the glory of God when they hear you pray? James teaches us there is actually a way to pray that glorifies the world instead of God. He says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” He continues by saying that this kind of prayer makes us out to be “adulteresses” because it demonstrates that we love the world rather than God. We should pray out loud and be careful when we do because our prayers are meant to show others the glory of God.
