I don’t normally look forward to praying aloud in front of people. But over time I have come to realize that praying aloud is important. Yes, you are talking to God and He is the only one who will answer your prayers, but when praying aloud you can actually bless someone without knowing it. The God who listens to your prayers can use them to help others in the very moment they hear you pray them.
For example, some people think to pray about things which I hadn’t thought to pray, and that expands my awareness of things to pray. This happened just yesterday when someone was praying for all the hurricane problems in the Houston and Galveston area. He prayed for the people as well as all the insurance agents that would eventually need to be on call.
For another example, some people have prayed for me specifically, whether it was one of many people in the prayer or just for me. They have said some very encouraging things that made me glad God put it in their hearts to say those things out loud to Him.
So even though I still get nervous when praying aloud, I realize that it is important. This is not to say you should pray flowery prayers just for show, but do realize that while you are conversing with God He may use your words to encourage someone in a way you don’t know or understand. Just talk with God and let someone else listen from time to time. They may be encouraged and even learn more about prayer.