Pastor Joshua Kiluba
James 5:16 emphasises that prayer is effective, meaning it is powerful. To further this point, there is a noteworthy aspect in praying loudly. Just as there is a season to pray quietly, there are also seasons to arise and pray aloud.
Loud prayers echo the enormity of what the Holy Spirit has birthed in us. These fervent prayers yield spiritually loud effects, shaking the visible realm. Moreover, these prayers are effective when the children of God are under threat as we will learn below.
By offering loud prayers with praise, Paul and Silas reflect the effect of prayer that went as far as freeing even those who were guilty from prison (see Acts 16:25-26).
Job also illustrates the power of prayer as he cried aloud to “His Redeemer, who lives” and was delivered (see Job 19:25). Similarly, Jesus Christ Himself made a loud prayer at the Cross, which had a powerful impact on the earth, causing it to shake, splitting rocks, tearing the Temple in two and causing tombs to open (see Matthew 27:50-52).
However, we are still doing less by praying louder or longer. The power of our prayer does not compare equally to the sound of our voice. God, who does exceedingly above what we can ask or think, amplifies our weak cries so that they may match the power at work within us, producing effects of divine magnitude (Ephesians 3: 20-21).
Thus, the power and effect of prayer will always outweigh the sound of our voice. Since there is a time for loud, effective prayer, let us not hold back, but continue to echo the power at work in us. And when a brother or a sister’s fire has gone down, let us be the iron that sharpens and encourages another to pray loudly (see Proverbs 27:17; Matthew 18:19-20).
