Thinking Out Loud

I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. Psalm 142:1

For years I have had a habit of praying out loud. It probably comes from my habit of thinking out loud. Having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, with frequent memory issues, I have learned that both writing things down and saying things aloud aids my ability to remember. The thinking out loud part gets me occasional strange looks from those who happen to come upon me doing so. And my wife has often called aloud to me from another room to ask if I was speaking to her when I have been practicing thinking out loud.

Likewise, I tend to pray aloud and often have frequent conversations with God throughout the day.

To keep the theme going, I often find myself reading out loud without thinking about it, to my wife’s annoyance if she happens to be watching TV at the time.

There is something very powerful about the spoken word, whether through prayer or reading God’s word aloud.

He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Nehemiah 8:3

And:

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Revelation 1:3

Preaching is a gift of the Holy Spirit. So is Teaching God’s Word. It is difficult to do either without words spoken aloud (with some exceptions).

Singing out loud is an important part of the Church. So is reading God’s Word aloud. Public prayers, and the Church verbally expressing public praise, all are indispensable.

Perhaps like myself, you will find that interacting out loud with God enables you to better remember your experiences with God in your spiritual walk.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Whether silently within our hearts and minds or verbally, let us never fail to stay in contact with You throughout our life and every day on this earth. Amen.