Praying out loud to yourself and crowding out ‘white noise’

If this doesn’t work for you then don’t do it, but if, like me, you often find your mind drifting when praying in your head, then why not have a go at praying out loud to yourself? Of course, this is not to say God doesn’t listen to you if you don’t pray out loud, as if God can’t hear you when you are silent! It’s just that when praying out loud I find my mind is usually more focussed on God and Christ than when I am silent and just thinking. Maybe, this trait is a sign of my spiritual immaturity that I find it harder to keep focused when praying in my head. Or maybe it is something about me and the way I communicate and listen that I need to actually hear what I am saying to make it more real. Nevertheless, whatever the reason, and if you have the same problem, then I would suggest having a go at praying out loud and see what happens.

It has taken me a while to get used to this habit, and I certainly wouldn’t do it in public. However, if you find a place alone and start speaking to God and Christ out loud, it has the effect of crowding out other ‘white noise’ – the noise that takes you to shopping lists, work problems, football scores, holiday plans, phone calls to make, appointments to keep, whatever, whatever, whatever, and everything under the sun! When hearing the words too, I've found that there seems to be more weight and honesty in what is being said. Saying words out loud, for me, seems to make them ‘more official’ and significant. Whereas words will seem more easily hidden (to you anyway) if they are privately enclosed in your mind, so more easily appearing unshared (to you anyway).