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Matthew 6:5-13

Connecting with God

Would you like to have a greater sense of God’s closeness to you? How about some genuine help with how you pray? Do you fall asleep when you pray and then feel incredibly guilty? Do you start well but find that your mind has wandered off somewhere far from God?

God’s children are like Chefs that can’t boil an egg to save themselves. You would expect that we would be people of prayer. After all we are known to the living creator God, we have been adopted into his family, we have been promised that whatever we ask in Christ’s name we will have.

Pray Aloud

However, we struggle deeply with prayer. To do it in the first place and then to do it well in the second place. This week I read an article which made a strong case that prayer in the Bible is something that is done out aloud. Many of us pray inside our mind. Today, I want to convince you that God prefers you to pray out aloud using your voice.

Praying aloud is somehow more real than thinking prayers. We have so many thoughts pass through out heads and our prayers sometimes get lost in the mix of thoughts and feelings. Praying aloud gives real focus and realness to your prayers. You are speaking aloud to the God who hears.

This week I’ve given praying aloud a go. It has been a challenge. I’m good to start with but revert back to thinking prayers. I’m faster thinking than speaking. However, I am going to persevere because though I’m faster thinking my prayers I’m also faster at losing track, faster at drifting and faster at getting distracted. I’ve found that praying aloud makes me feel my prayers more. I suppose I’m using more of my body when I’m speaking than thinking. I’d be very interested in your thoughts and feedback as I hope you learn to connect with God by praying aloud. the Rev

Exercises

• Discuss how everything that exists consists and is constructed with words?

• Discuss what you have learnt by the example and teaching of Christ?

• Read Psalm 34 and discuss references that refer to speaking and hearing?

• Share what challenges and benefits you will experience praying aloud?

• Share how you will encourage each other to pray aloud within your Life Group?

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for being a person I can speak to in a way that is normal to me. I don’t have to learn a special language or observe any special rituals to come into your presence to pray. Thanks that you hear my prayers and answer them. Teach me to pray out loud rather than just thinking my prayers. Help me to learn to make time to be with you alone, Amen.  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it