Do we have to pray out loud?
"All people will come to you (God), because you hear and answer prayer" (Psalm 65:2).
"When you pray, do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They want to be seen by others. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward" (Matthew 6:5).
It can be good to pray out loud, but you don’t have to pray out loud.People often pray out loud, whether it’s at church, in a Bible study or prayer meeting, or even at a sporting event.
Praying out loud can be a great way for people to talk to God together—one person prays while the other people listen and agree with the prayer. It can also be a wonderful way to encourage someone, especially when we’re praying for that person. Praying out loud is a good thing to get used to, just like it’s good to get used to talking to groups of people.
But while praying out loud is a good thing to do, God can hear our prayers even when they’re silent and in our minds. God knows everything, so He knows what you’re saying even if you don’t say it out loud.
The one thing God asks is that if we do pray out loud, we do it with the right attitude (see Luke 18:10–14). He doesn’t want us to do it because we’re showing off or because we want attention. All prayer should be used for one reason—to talk to God. So every time you pray out loud, make sure you’re doing it for God and not to show off to other people.
