hi. i'm struggling to pray out loud.

Praying is so cool to me. We get to be in constant conversation with our Heavenly Father who loves us so much! God wants to hear every aspect of our day - our victories and our trials. Prayer allows us to engage in a very personal way with God. I love that. I can talk to God about what I’m struggling with, my friends’ struggles, worldly issues and also celebrate victories!

So often, we see people reach out to one another for support. First of all, yay! Find a community that will support you. Second of all, continue to share your burdens. Prayer is so powerful. But then comes the hard part - who’s going to pray *inhales sharply* out loud? I’m surely not the first to say that praying out loud is nerve-racking.What if I stutter? Say “um” too many times? Forget someone’s prayer request? What if I don’t use the typical Christian jargon like, “wash away my iniquities” or “prepare our hearts, oh gracious and loving Father” ? But let me remind you - you aren’t speaking to impress those around you. You’re in conversation with your Heavenly Father. I was discussing this discomfort of praying out loud with a friend of mine. She prays aloud frequently and speaks in such an elegant way, I feel a little intimidated by her! Any way, she reminded me that God hears everything that I do or don’t say. So that fear of leaving something out? It doesn’t matter because God knows our every thought. As for my fear of not speaking in a beautiful way, she shot that down - quickly reminding me that we are not here to please the world. Why should our prayers be any different? God longs to hear your voice, He yearns for your conversation. Don’t be fearful of what others may think because truthfully, that doesn’t matter.

God longs to hear your voice, He yearns for your conversation.

This is still something that I’m working on, but I challenge you to work on it too. Start in a comfortable environment, like before your family digs into supper. In Jeremiah 29:12 it says, “In those days when you pray, I will listen.” Take note that it doesn’t say “pray with eloquent speech” but rather, “when you pray, I will listen.” How awesome is that.