Hubby noticed this morning when we were praying together that we both have 'prayer voices', the same classification of voice that you might label someone with when they have a 'telephone voice', a 'shop assistant voice' a 'baby voice' or a 'parent (or in-laws) voice'. Since he mentioned it, we discussed why this might be, as he had also noticed that everyone else we pray with also has the said prayer voice, except, he noted, vicars and other ordained folk. Perhaps the 'voice' comes from self consciousness, that we are speaking our hearts out loud to a roomful of people. Perhaps people don't like hearing their own voice. Perhaps some of it is awe and reverence. Perhaps some people think that if they pray in a prayer voice that somehow God will take more notice of their prayer?
For me, I didn't realise that I had a different voice, in my head it just sounds loud and the words don't come out anywhere near as eloquently as other people in the room (also doing prayer voices, and using phrases and words that they wouldn't otherwise use in everyday conversation.) If I do have a different voice, its because I hate speaking out loud to a roomful of people, I really don't like the sound of my own voice. It is also that usually I have felt that I had to pray out loud, a spiritual prompting, if you will, and yet words don't convey what I am feeling inside. I guess there is also the fear of sounding stupid.
There is an awful lot more to say about praying out loud - using it as a forum for giving out information to the rest of the group that they wouldn't otherwise know: 'we pray for John as he has hurt his back falling downstairs after trying on his wife's shoes when she was out shopping', for using it to convey a message to others in the group etc. For me, I am probably guilty of the above, but prayer should be an open and honest communication between us and God. We have the privilidge of drawing close to him through prayer and no-one else should matter.
So I resolve to pray as if no-one else was in the room, just talk as if it was God and I. Lets get rid of prayer voices!!
For me, I didn't realise that I had a different voice, in my head it just sounds loud and the words don't come out anywhere near as eloquently as other people in the room (also doing prayer voices, and using phrases and words that they wouldn't otherwise use in everyday conversation.) If I do have a different voice, its because I hate speaking out loud to a roomful of people, I really don't like the sound of my own voice. It is also that usually I have felt that I had to pray out loud, a spiritual prompting, if you will, and yet words don't convey what I am feeling inside. I guess there is also the fear of sounding stupid.
There is an awful lot more to say about praying out loud - using it as a forum for giving out information to the rest of the group that they wouldn't otherwise know: 'we pray for John as he has hurt his back falling downstairs after trying on his wife's shoes when she was out shopping', for using it to convey a message to others in the group etc. For me, I am probably guilty of the above, but prayer should be an open and honest communication between us and God. We have the privilidge of drawing close to him through prayer and no-one else should matter.
So I resolve to pray as if no-one else was in the room, just talk as if it was God and I. Lets get rid of prayer voices!!
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