Should We Pray Out Loud Or Silently?
Name: No Name
Question: Does God want &/or prefer us to pray aloud, or does He mind if we pray silently? Is one more acceptable than the other?
A lot of the time, when I think of God, I weep. When I’m taking in the meticulous intricacy of His creation that He shares with us, when I think of how undeserving I am of His Love & majesty or when I’m paranoid that He doesn’t want me & I may be left behind, even though I’ve asked for forgiveness & I know that He loves all His children & asks that we Love Him… is that good or bad? Maybe I don’t Love Him enough? Maybe I’m doing something wrong… I just get really emotional concerning our Heavenly Father. He’s just so beautiful! Is it wrong of me to be paranoid? Does that anger Him? I’m paranoid about angering him, I’m paranoid about messing up & I’m paranoid about being paranoid. I don’t want to be, but I’ve had the feeling of paranoia since I was a young girl & now, in my thirties, haven’t been able to shake it.
I ask God for forgiveness when I say something that offends someone, have negative thoughts, lose my temper a little or just upset someone unintentionally & I was told that wasn’t necessary; is that accurate? I feel as if I must? Do things like that upset God? I was also told that some of the things I hold to be sinful, God does not.
Thank you!
Name: Brandon T. Ward
Answer: Thank you for the question.
Matthew 6:1-6 explains we should pray privately and not make a big deal out of prayer before men. Some people think they need to throw their hands in the air and chant to be heard by God.
He is against this and instead tells us in verse 6,
“When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.“
God can read our thoughts so feel free to communicate your prayers to Him that way.
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with weeping when thinking of our Father. When we look at an evening sunset, a morning sunrise or ponder the stars that illuminate the night sky and understand our Father created that, when we truly consider everything He has done for us it can be very touching.
You have nothing to be paranoid about though. If you are following His Word and sticking by His Laws you are in good shape. Consider His promises, He is not angry at you, but those who do not follow His Laws. For those who follow His Laws, they will inherit many rewards in Heaven, (Matthew 16:27).
Not everything we believe is bad is truly a sin. So you do not have to ask for forgiveness if you did not sin right?
Of course.
However, if you feel you are in error or made a bad example there is nothing wrong with talking to Him about it. I think you are doing just fine!
I noticed one of your concerns was being “left behind.” If this was a reference to a rapture I would really like for you to read our study titled, “The False Hope of the Rapture.”
Thank you again for the question.