Lectionary Thoughts: Psalm 5

Here’s a question: Do you pray Biblically? Do you pray in the manner overwhelmingly exemplified in scripture?

Psalm 5 introduces us to something that we will see repeatedly in the psalms and beyond: The psalmist prayed out loud. In the opening verses mentions “the sound of his cry” and his “voice” as he prays to God, and the Hebrew words for these words clearly indicate audible noise.

Daniel prayed prayers that were loud enough to convince his enemies that he was violating the king’s decree (Daniel 6:10). And Jesus prayed loud enough in the Garden of Gethsemane for his prayers to be heard and recorded by the apostles.

I’ve looked diligently, but have not yet been able to find any examples of silent prayer, the possible exception being Nehemiah’s prayer in the presence of Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:4).

I started praying in this way several years ago, and would heartily commend it to you. I don’t exclusively pray aloud (counselees would probably not linger in my study if they could hear what I was praying for them as we converse!) but I do find times and places where I can do this without provoking others to wonder (any more than usual) about my sanity.

What might be some possible benefits from praying aloud? Distraction and, yes, let’s admit it, staying awake, are perennial enemies of protracted prayer. Praying aloud leans hard against these proclivities. Our bodies are not, as some like to think, mere conveyances for our brains. We are to serve God with all of our “heart, mind and strength.” Praying aloud reinforces the reality that we are to serve God with the entirety of our beings, not just what happens behind our eyes and between our ears.

Now, I’m not saying that praying silently is sinful (far from it!) We are nowhere in scripture forbidden to pray silently. But I am saying that we should take seriously that which is given to us in God’s Word by precept and by example. So, as you read through the Bible this year, be careful to note the manner in which people pray, and then be ready to “go thou and do likewise.”

GH