Ever notice how much harder it is to pray out loud than to pray quietly in your mind? When I pray out loud, I have to think about my words. I hear myself praying and I am more apt to catch myself being lazy in my thinking. Usually others are listening when I pray out loud, and I am aware of that. Will my prayer make sense to them? I’ve also found it useful to pray out loud even when I’m by myself as a way of staying alert. Thoughts can be sloppy. I can start praying in my mind and then go off somewhere else in my thoughts and forget entirely that I have evoked the presence of the eternal wise God.

John Fischer