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silence (3)

Should We Pray Aloud or Silently?

Posted by Rob Griepentrog on February 18, 2014 at 14:03
God, in His infinite wisdom, has given us many diverse ways to pray.  Some pray privately, some pray publicly, some pray while walking around, some pray in solemn stillness, while others pray in a variety of ways (some listed above, and in other ways not listed).
 

But does God have a preference whether we pray aloud or silently?

We look to Jesus- who not only taught about prayer, but modeled it for each of His followers.
 
In Matthew 4, we read that Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil for 40 days.  While prayer isn't explicitly mentioned in this chapter, it's fair to reason that with the Holy Spirit leading Jesus into the desert, that prayer (communication with the Father) was ongoing.  The Holy Spirit helps us to pray- and certainly did/does the same for Jesus!  We have no record of anything Jesus prayed in the desert because Jesus either didn't share what He prayed at that time with his disciples, or the Holy Spirit didn't have it recorded in the gospels.

In Matthew 6, Jesus gives us a model to pray by: (verses 9-13)


“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.

He doesn't specify if God prefers us to worship, confess, petition, and thank God aloud or silently.  He simply gives us this model to shape how we pray when we pray.

In Matthew 11:25-30, we read:
 
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

In verses 25-26 we see the first word-for-word recorded prayer of Jesus in Matthew's account- and it reveals praise and worship-based prayer to the Father.  This aligns perfectly with the beginning of Jesus' model prayer in Matthew 6:9.  We also see Jesus instruct His followers (including you and me) to align ourselves (our hearts, minds, and souls) with Him by taking His yoke upon ourselves and learning from Him.  Prayer is one vital part of the yoke we should take upon ourselves- if we haven't already done so!  He promises that we'll find rest for our souls therein.

On the night between the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water, we read in Matthew 14:22-23, "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone..,
 
Here, Jesus separates Himself from all others to be alone in prayer before the Father.  While there's no record of what He specifically prayed at that time, or whether he prayed aloud or silently (or maybe a combination of both), He gives us the model that it is good to separate ourselves from all others (people and things) to be still and alone before God.  There He found rest- and we can too.
 

He (the LORD) says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.” - Psalm 46:10

Then, prior to Jesus' betrayal in Gethsemane (Matthew 26), we read that Jesus prayed three times.  He strongly encouraged His disciples to watch, then watch and pray, but found them asleep each time He broke from concentrated prayer with the Father to check on them:
 
 
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

From this passage, it appears Jesus prayed aloud (at least the portion he prayed three times).  Someone present must have recorded His words before they fell asleep, or the Holy Spirit later shared the words Jesus prayed with Matthew following Jesus' resurrection.

From these examples in Matthew, we see that God prefers prayer.  The method (spoken or silent), and physical location doesn't matter.  What matters is the heart of the one praying.  God desires to hear our prayers in whatever way we offer them to Him.

The other gospels also show modeling of prayer by Jesus.  John 17 also reveals Jesus' prayers for Himself, His disciples, and all believers.
 
Some additional thoughts on praying in different means.

Benefits of Praying Silently

Praying silently, for many, offers the ability to pray more quickly than by verbalizing prayer.  Our thoughts move faster than our voices, therefore, it's possible to share one's thoughts more quickly with God when praying silently than when speaking our prayer(s).
 
Praying silently often establishes an undisturbed atmosphere to hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks.  While the Spirit certainly can be heard during spoken prayer- through impressions He places on the praying person's heart- directly, from Scripture, or from others around, the atmosphere of silence may reduce noise or distraction for the one praying and may make it easier to hear the Lord's voice.
 
Benefits of Praying Aloud
 
When one prays aloud, especially in the presence of others, the person praying not only makes their thoughts known by verbalizing them, they also model prayer for others around them.
 
Modeling prayer is one of the key ways Christians learn how to pray from others.  Certain words used, inflections of voice, ways of praying, Scriptures prayed, and more may be picked up when one hears or sees another Christian praying.  Reminder:  The one modeling prayer should check his/her heart to make sure their motive in praying is to glorify God and not bring attention or glory to one's self.  The best kind of modeling happens without the person praying realizing that they're modeling prayer!  They let the Holy Spirit model prayer through themselves without interference of personal pride.
 
Of course, poor ways of modeling prayer may also happen when one prays aloud.  But if the person praying has his/her heart focused on the Lord, and is praying as the Holy Spirit is leading them (and not from their own desires alone) they're likely honoring and blessing the Lord.
 

Praying aloud can bring instant encouragement to others near the one praying aloud.  If someone requests prayer, often the best time to pray is at the very moment while the praying person is in the presence of the one requesting prayer.  Spoken prayer, in this situation, not only models prayer to the one requesting, but often brings instant hope, encouragement, or even joy, to the one burdened or requesting prayer.

How Should We Pray?

There's no choice to be made other than, we should pray!  How we do so depends on our heart position before God and how He leads or instructs us to pray in that moment.
 
We need not divide ourselves within our Christian fellowships or apart from them based on how we pray or prefer to pray.  There are benefits to each way we pray.  Prayer often works to shape the one praying more than the people or circumstances we pray for.  The most important thing we can do is pray.  So let's get back to doing so!

Lord, we love and praise you.  You've provided the way to directly come before the Father and speak with Him.  Thank you for prayer!  Continue to teach us to pray each day- and by your Spirit, lead us in how you'd have us pray moment-by-moment.  We desire to reflect your glory back to you and to others you place around us.  Help us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on you, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.  Have your way in and through us today- for your glory alone.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Listening Prayer and Expectation

Posted by Debbie Przybylski on August 11, 2010 at 8:17
“’The word of the Lord came to Elijah… I will send rain upon the earth.’ That was the foundation of that persistent praying and sevenfold watching on the mountaintop. First the ear heard, then the voice persistently claimed, and the eye expectantly looked. First the voice of God, then the voice of man. That is the true order. Tremendous results always follow that combination.” S. D. Gordon
Think about these questions as you evaluate your personal relationship with God.

Are you able to endure silence?

Are you tuned into hearing God’s still, small voice?

Are you able to listen attentively to what He is saying above all the noise of your world?

In order to pray His will, it is crucial that we hear God’s voice clearly. We all know what it is like to talk with someone who never listens. It is absolutely frustrating! Likewise, God wants us to learn to listen to Him. It is as we spend time before Him in quiet listening that we are able to pray His will more fervently and with greater expectation, hitting the target effectively. We need to be certain of hitting our target as we pray for the situations we see around us. When you give God time in listening prayer, He will direct your prayers strategically, even when you don’t realize it. He will help you to proclaim His will in your prayers, and your level of faith will increase.

God has so much to say to us daily, but often we can’t hear the fine, quiet tones of His voice.

When I was growing up, my father used to make and sell hearing aids from our home. Individuals would come into our house with hearing aids that needed repair. We, as a family, would not even bother to go into the living room to talk with them, because we knew they were not able to hear our voices.

How many of us are in the same situation with God?

He can’t tell us things because our hearing needs repair or we are not taking the time to listen. He often can’t speak into our lives because we are not ready, nor able to discern the treasures of what He has to say to us. Just as we could not communicate with my father’s hard-of-hearing guests, God may feel the same way with us. He can’t share His secrets because we are not listening or are too distracted. We are not able to hear Him whispering in our ear. As a result, we are the ones that miss out and have chosen the lesser thing. And our expectation of what God can do does not increase.

Listening prayer builds expectation. Notice the difference between Mary and Martha in Luke 10:39-41: “She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made… ‘Martha, Martha’, the Lord answered, ‘you are worried about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better.’” Mary listened and sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha worked.

Let’s look at three dimensions of listening prayer. As you evaluate your own listening skills, answer these three questions.


Three Dimensions of Listening Prayer

1. The Ear Hears - Are you attentively listening?

It’s just too easy for us to make our plans and then ask God to bless them. But to be effective in prayer, we must learn to listen to His plans and cooperate with Him. We are then able to pray God-size prayers and join God in partnering with His answer. His blessing then follows because God’s plans will always bring tremendous blessing and fruitfulness. t may take time, but in due season we reap a harvest. Listening is key to being effective and watchful in prayer. It’s a skill to develop in all relationships, but especially in our relationship with God. If we don’t listen to God and hold fast to His word, the devil will continually attack and weaken us with His lies.

“The first stage of Moses’ prayer training was wearing the noise of Egypt out of his ears so he could hear the quiet, fine tones of God’s voice. He who would become skilled in prayer must take a silence course in the university of Arabia”. S. D. Gordon

2. The Voice Persistently Claims - Are you persistently claiming?

Sometimes God tells us things in the secret place of listening, but we fail to persist in claiming His promises. We may pray for a time, but then we give up. We fail to proclaim the truth in His Word. However, when we do move into that dimension of knowing what God wants and as we pray His Word with His unction and anointing, the answers will surely come. Our faith will rise up to that level of proclamation, and we shall see the fulfillment of our dreams. Listening prayer builds an assurance in our inner being of God’s will in the here and now. This moves us into new dimensions of faith and victory.

“When we so absorb this Book (the Bible), and the Spirit of Him who is its life that people cannot tell the line of division between the man, and the God within the man, then shall we have the mightiest power as God’s intercessors in defeating the foe. God and man will be as one in the action of service against the enemy. S. D. Gordon

3. The Eye Expectantly Looks - Are you expectantly looking?

It’s easy to lose an expectant heart when we are bombarded by bad news on a daily basis. We don’t want to live in the place where we listen to the lies of the enemy. We want to have ears that hear the sounds of heaven and eyes that look with expectation of victory in all that is before us. We are soon stepping into eternity, a wondrous place to live. Now is the time to rise up in prayer and see what God has for each one of us as we work to pray in His kingdom. We are made to reign with Him, and one day all our tears will be turned into joy. Learn to listen now and the heartbeat of God will empower your prayers of proclamation, and you will look expectantly for the fulfillment of those prayers.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always” (Psalm 105:4).


Moses learned to listen in the desert. He learned the value of solitude. God had him in a training program. Early this morning I got up, got a cup of coffee, and sat outside listening - listening to God, to the many sounds of nature, to a natural wonderland of birds and animals right in my own back yard. It was a rich experience and as I did this, my expectation level in God rose.

When we begin to listen to the voice of God through a trained, attentive ear, then we shall be able to walk in a new level of Holy Spirit-inspired productivity and anointing. Let’s ask God to help us to slow down and listen in prayer, that He may empower us with Godly proclamations of life and truth that bring freedom into the lives of all those we touch through intercession. Learn to touch heaven with your prayers by learning the secret of listening prayer. Learn to live on this level of expectancy in prayer. We can learn from the example of Moses as we seek to be God’s watchman in prayer.
To view this article or send it to your friends - http://ignitingthefireofprayer.blogspot.com/2010/08/listening-prayer-and-expectation.html
“There were two distinct stages in the training of His (Moses) ears. First there were the forty years of solitude in the desert sands, alone with the sheep, and the stars, and - God. His ears were being trained by silence. The bustle and confusion of Egypt’s busy life were being taken out of his ear. How silent are God’s voices. How few men are strong enough to be able to endure silence. For in silence God is speaking to the inner ear.” S. D. Gordon
By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise
deb@intercessorsarise.org
http://www.intercessorsarise.org
To subscribe to Intercessors Arise, click
intercessorsarise-International-subscribe@strategicnetwork.org

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In the Silence

Posted by Teshawn Green on March 15, 2010 at 17:30
It is in the silence that God speaks and we must be quiet and listen. How hard can listening be? Very hard. In a society were we are always "plugged in," listening can be challenging. We feel a need to "do something, say something, move something and hurry God along." Being quiet requires us to slow down and wait on God to answewr. Being quiet requires us to concentrate on hearing in the silence. Being quiet requires us to tune our ears to hear God's voice and tune our hearts to receive his revelation. Being quiet is building a place of intimacy with God. Being quiet is being content sitting in his presence and silently waiting.
In the silence we worship God's majesty, his power, his glory. In the silence we become sensitive to God's presence and we filled with awe. In the silence we learn that God is asking us to be quiet. Not rushing, not impatient but confident that he hears and will answer. In the silence he teaches us to trust him.
"And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice. When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 King 19:11-13 (AMP)

In the silence we wait for God to ask us, "Why are you here? Why do you seek me? What are you inquiring of me?"

After the silence God speaks.

"And the Lord said to him, Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah to be prophet in your place." 1 Kings 19:15-16 (AMP)

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