Out Loud

July 21, 2022

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, 

And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; 

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, 

And Your faithfulness every night…

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord 

Shall flourish in the courts of our God. 

They shall still bear fruit in old age; 

They shall be fresh and flourishing, 

To declare that the Lord is upright; 

He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

—Psalm 92:1-2, 13-15 

It has always seemed odd to me that someone who made his living with words would most of the time be silent. Linda hates to travel, I think in part because when I’m driving I don’t talk. She could ride with any of the grandkids for days at a time without any problem because they would be chattering back and forth the entire trip. Me? I rarely even turn on the radio. I like the quiet.

And yet…

My silence has its own set of problems. When I was a new Christian, someone said to me that I should pray my prayers silently because the devil can’t read our minds, and speaking out loud let him know exactly what I am up to. It was some well-meaning, but very bad advice that I took to heart. To this day, I have to force myself to pray aloud when I’m alone. But when I pray silently, my mind wanders all over the place. Vocalizing the thoughts in my head and heart gives them a substance they otherwise do not have. Praying aloud in the morning, reminding ourselves of God’s lovingkindness, and then reflecting at night on his faithfulness through the day is a life-affirming practice.

This psalm addresses this matter quite clearly. It is bookended with the word “to declare,” ie. to say it aloud. It’s good to say, even to shout aloud the lovingkindness of God at both the start and end of the day. Doing so helps plant us in the house of the Lord, enabling us to be fruitful even in old age…declaring that the Lord is upright, our rock, in whom is no unrighteousness.

This morning, our men gathered in prayer, declaring aloud God’s lovingkindness and singing his praises. And now tonight, I lift my voice in praise and prayer, declaring his faithfulness.