Don't be shy, praise the Most High! -Why verbal prayer helps you grow

Silent prayer isn't bad but praying out loud changes the atmosphere in a different way.

How often do you spend quiet time with the Lord? Better still, how often do you spend audible time with God?

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to David Powlison, a member of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation and council member of The Gospel Coalition, recently wrote a book titled "Stop Having Quiet Times."

In his book, Powlison explains how often people in the Bible verbally speak to the Lord. In an article posted to The Gospel Coalition, Powlison wrote: "More than 95 percent of the psalms express or invite audible words. Most are spoken directly to God, though often psalms speak to others, inviting them to join in. Some even gives 'voice' to the inanimate creation."

During the Liturgy of the Word, we respond to psalms but how often do we read them, in private, to the Lord? The book of Psalms is basically a book of song lyrics - songs meant to be used to worship the Lord.

Powlison explained: "In the verbal actions of the psalms - rejoicing in who God is, asking for needed help, expressing heartfelt thanks-we're talking to someone. It's fair to say that having a 'quiet time' is a misnomer. It's more of an out loud, 'noisy' time."

According to Matthew 6:6, Powlison isn't quite right: "But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you."

Silent prayer is encouraged by the Lord and should be practiced daily - but verbal prayer brings with it a power God has instilled in our words.

Proverbs 18:21 reads: "Death and life are in the gift of the tongue, those who indulge it must eat the fruit it yields."

According to the Proverb, words have the power to build up or break down. They are also powerful tools to shape the outcome of different situations (the fruit).

It is the same when speaking to The Lord. When we verbally speak to him, we suddenly go from a mental connection to a more human one. In this place of verbal communication, we feel a new sense of connection with the Lord and are able to enjoy the time we spend with him in a new and empowering way.

As Powlison explained: "The standard practice for both public and private prayer is to speak so as to be heard by the Person you're addressing. Prayer is verbal because it's relational. It's not a psychological experience. It's not contemplative immersion in an inner silence beyond words. It's an honest verbal conversation about things that matter, talking with someone you know, need, and love."

Powlison's concerns are with a silent prayer that don't necessarily serve as genuine communication between ourselves and God.

"It's easy for prayer to become a kind of muttering to oneself, a bucket list of requests, with little connection to who the Lord is and what he's up to," Powlison wrote. "It's easy to slide into thinking of prayer as the evoking of certain religious feelings, or a set of seemingly spiritual thoughts, or a vague sense of comfort, awe and dependency on a higher power...Sometimes prayer becomes a superstitious rabbit's foot, a ritual to keep bad things away and to ensure good things."

To keep ourselves from falling into this rotted mentality, we must shake up our routines. Speak to God verbally and thank him for the work he has done in your life or the lives of others. Read the Psalms aloud and practice understanding what you are saying and putting true intentions behind your words. What good are words recited when you can offer your true feelings to the Lord our God?

Powlison explained the more we interact with the living God, the more we understand how to talk to God, as well as how to listen. Through this, he claims our "faith grows up" and we help elevate our relationship with the Lord.

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