Title

Speaking To the Lord

Scripture
I cry out to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble.
(Psalm 142:1-2)
Devotional
I have no doubt that the Lord hears not only our audible prayers, but also the prayers of our thoughts. Nevertheless, in the Psalms we repeatedly hear the phrase, “with my voice”. There is something very special and powerful about praying with our voices. When we speak audibly, we not only measure our words, we hear them as well. They resonate not only in heaven, but also on the earth. When we hear our articulated prayers, we hear their tone, the sincerity of our supplication, the legitimacy of our complaint, and the reality of our troubles. Praying aloud increases my faith. It is not so much that I believe that God hears me anymore clearly; but that I know that what I am saying is weighed and measured. When I verbalize my prayers, I have a stronger sense of God’s presence. Let us pray like the psalmist, “Give ear to my words, O Lord . . . Give heed to the voice of my cry . . . for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning.”(1)

(1) Psalm 5:1-3