Can you pray in front of others?

I use to be very unsure of myself when asked to pray in front of others..that is when I was a new Christian. I came to realize that our prayers don't have to sound perfect, God knows our hearts & he loves to hear what we have to say, even if it isn't up to the standards that some may think it should be. All prayers are heard by God no matter what. Just remember when you pray, whether it be alone or in front of others, that you are talking to Him, not anyone else..so just let it flow freely. God Bless you and thanks for sharing.

I am shy also and have trouble praying infront of others. I too feel inadequate and don't know what to say and feel that others will judge me on what I say or how I say it. I know that they won't but I am just afraid that they will. I always get really nervous if I have to pray infront of others and end up praying really fast.

I am a very conservative person and tend to be shy also. I am one who will share my faith or my Bible knowledge (if it's something I know) only when asked or if it comes up. People at work do tend to consider me the "Christian" person. They always ask me for answers when it pertains to the Bible or to "church" matters in general. If they have a problem or want a prayer, they'll come to me. And it tickles me that they won't tell dirty jokes in front of me! And some of them have apologized to me for using cuss words. Anyway, it is amusing to me that at our company christmas dinner, I am always the one asked to say grace. Sometimes it is harder to do than others. Practice, as with anything, helps it to go better. And in praying out loud, if you have a quick moment to gather your thoughts...that always helps.

This is a tough one for me too. The difficulty I have is that I find myself focusing more on what the other people in the room may think of what I'm saying than on talking to God. I generally just try to keep it short and sweet, and then pass it along to the next person.

I am the same way! Mu husband is always gettin irritated with me because I don't pray with him. He has been saved for a lot longer then me and he still feels I am a baby christian (I have been saved since 2003) so I don't consider myself a baby christian any more but I do still wonder when it will get easier to pray infront of others! I always have a loss of words and feel that I am just hurrying it along. I have a wonderful prayer life and an outstanding relationship with our Lord, I just feel weird praying infront of others.. Glad to know I am not alone! God Bless!

I had the same thing for ages when I first became a Christian. Its especially challenging when you're praying with a group of Christians who you feel are much more spiritual than you are, or perhaps older. But much of what passes for prayer these days is just unecessary babble, if we're totally honest about it. How many times do we need to tell God things He already knows, rather than just keeping it plain and simple and to the point. Also, using His titles, such as "Lord" as punctuation seems to be common too... it might sound good, but it doesn't really carry much meaning. How often do you say someones name after every 6 words while you're talking to them? :)

I am not also prayerful and I am not given that spiritual gift of prayer but it's not so much a problem for me as a woman because in the Church of Christ, we follow the Holy Bible and women are not allowed to lead (but of course, when all of us are women like in Ladies' Retreats, we lead prayers, etc.). But we have to be ready to lead at all times. We study and learn the pattern of prayer in accordance with the Holy Bible and I should like to share that to you. Like a letter, we have the salutation - the prayer should be addressed to our Father in heaven, giving praises such as God All Powerful, etc. Then we have the body - here we give thanks for all the blessings that God bestowed upon us, we request whatever we like, etc. Then we ask for forgiveness for all the sins that we have done. At the end, we close our prayer in such a way that we pray for all of such things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then we say AMEN. If we know the pattern, it would be easier to know what we are going to say. Prayer is the way we talk to God and God talks to us thru the Holy Bible. I hope that this will help. May God bless all of us.

I am also shy about praying in front of others. I get very nervous and feel like I will stumble over my words or say something silly. I just need practice though. Not to long ago, I laid a prayer cloth on my best friends head and prayed for her and the prayer was answered. That has given me more confidance for the next time.

i've had exactly the same issues. Having spoken to other Christians about it i soon realised that it is a common thing. Thing you have to remember is that to pray you don't have to use fancy phrases or jargon, just say what you feel. Pray about how your feeling and ask God to help you over come it, He is the best person to help you.