Is praying out loud okay?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible presents many examples of both private and public prayer. Jesus often withdrew to private places to pray, but he also prayed out loud at times (Matthew 14:19; 26:26-27; 27:46). His disciples also prayed out loud (Acts 8:14-15; 16:25; 20:36), and the early church gathered to pray together often (Acts 1:14, 24; 2:42). Simply put, God does not care about our performance but rather, our heart posture of humility and our treatment of others (Luke 18:9-14, 20:46-47). For example, Jesus contrasted the public prayers of hypocrites with the private, sincere prayers of those whose prayers are for God, not for other people (Matthew 6:5-6). Essentially, while the hypocrites prayed aloud to garner attention and appear righteous before others, Jesus wanted His followers to pray to be seen by the Father. If we pray out loud, it should be for the godly building up of others (1 Corinthians 14:15-19) and the glory of God (1 Kings 8:22-23), not for self-seeking purposes.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Solomon’s dedication prayer for the temple in 1 Kings 8:22-23 was focused on honoring God, not himself. We should have the same heart posture if we are praying out loud in a public setting.
• Ezra publicly prays for Judah’s repentance after the exiles return from Babylonian captivity. The people had sinned against God by marrying pagans, and Ezra pleaded for forgiveness on behalf of the nation (Ezra 9).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Jesus prayed out loud. For example He gave thanks to God before feeding thousands of people (Matthew 14:19) as well as in the presence of His disciples during the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-27). He also prayed, “‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” as he was on the cross (Matthew 27:46).
• In Matthew 6:5-6, Jesus warns against the dangers of praying aloud in front of others for the wrong reasons: “‘And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’”
• In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus contrasts the prayer of a Pharisee with that of a tax collector. The Pharisee’s public prayer was for his glory, while the tax collector's humble prayer was an earnest plea to the Lord. Jesus said that the tax collector "… went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14). Both prayers were out loud, which shows that the attitude is most important, not whether a prayer is audible to others.
• In Luke 20:46-47, Jesus says the scribes who make long prayers for "pretense" and arrange to do good things so they are seen and honored by others, will be condemned. Our relationship with God is to be holy and intimate, not flaunted for others to admire. It’s about God’s glory, not ours.
• Acts 8:14-15; 16:25; 20:36 shows Christians of the early church prayed out loud in a public setting. In fact, communal prayer was a common practice for the early church (Acts 1:14, 24; 2:42).
• When we gather together to pray, as we should, our aim should be to honor God and speak of His goodness, provision, and mercies, not our own. Ephesians 5:18-21 encourages us to "be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

At times, the Bible presents public prayer in a positive light, and at other times, it condemns it. The difference is the focus: On self or on God. Prayer fosters a close relationship with God, so it should never be done to boost our self-righteousness. When we focus on looking spiritually superior to others as the Pharisees during Jesus’ time did, there isn’t room for our relationship for God to be the focus.

On the other hand, public prayer is commended in the Bible when its original purpose is still intact: glorifying God and lifting up others. Some examples are Solomon dedicating the temple and the communal prayer of the early church in Acts. We don’t need to fear praying out loud. In fact, it can be used by God to lift up others and bring glory to Himself. But we must approach prayer with a heart posture of humility and focus on God.

UNDERSTAND

• Praying aloud and silently are both biblical.
• The attitude during prayer is more important than whether the prayer is audible to others.
• Prayer should be done in humility, to glorify God and build up others.

REFLECT

• How do you ensure you have the right attitude when you pray out loud?
• How can you guard against your public prayers becoming performative?
• In what ways do you seek to glorify God when praying out loud?

ENGAGE

• How can we encourage each other to pray out loud with the right heart posture without feeling self-conscious?
• How can we distinguish between self-glorifying and God-glorifying public prayers?
• What is the benefit of praying out loud–both individually and corporately?