Praying in sounds, A gift of the Holy Spirit, A flow in and through our personality, Our choice, Often transferred from person to person, More for private use than public prayer, Goes with an interpretation
Why would I want to pray in tongues?
For everyone, For people not good with words, Builds us up, Enjoyable and playful, Useful and powerful, A way of being filled with the Spirit, Expresses our spirit, Expresses our heart, Often the beginning of other gifts, Often leads into silence, Can help us go, or go back, to sleep, Enhances life, A preparation for Paradise.
Any challenges of praying in tongues?
Means letting God have control of our mouth, A way of offering our body as a living sacrifice, Is weird; can be criticised, For us to want, to ask for, and to be prepared to use.
How do we start praying in tongues?
Ask, Want to be holy, Use picture language, Wait, Make your own sounds, Welcome what comes, Go ahead.
Once we have received the gift of tongues, what then?
What is praying in tongues?
Praying in sounds
Janice was struggling with the pain of terminal cancer in a hospice. This was unusual as pain is generally well controlled in hospices. A Christian Chaplain found her wincing with pain. He asked if could pray with her in a language that she wouldn’t understand. She agreed, and the priest prayed, first in English, and then in tongues. The following day, Janice was talking with the Lead Chaplain. “What was that language the Chaplain spoke? Was it Hebrew?” The Lead didn’t know. “I hope it was OK?” she seemed worried. “Oh, it was fine,” said Janice, “it felt like prayer that reaches the parts other prayers don’t reach.”
‘Prayer that reaches other parts’ is a good definition of praying in tongues. It does often sound like Hebrew or some Oriental language but, to the person praying, it is only sounds – a stream of sounds that comes from within them without them understanding the meaning. Much of our prayer comes from our mind. Praying in tongues comes more directly from our heart or spirit. It reaches other parts because it comes from other parts.
Luke first wrote about this way of praying in Acts 2. He described the Holy Spirit coming to the apostles on the day of Pentecost: ‘And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (King James Version) Luke went on to list the ‘tongues’ of the various places from where people in the crowd had travelled to Jerusalem. ‘Tongues’ is an old word for ‘languages.’ Most modern translations use ‘languages’ in Acts 2 and ‘tongues’ in 1 Corinthians 14 when Paul writes about praying in tongues. The Greek word is the same.
A Pentecost the apostles were so full of enthusiasm they needed to burst out. The enthusiastic flow within them was too strong to process in language. The flow erupted from their mouths as sounds. Some people outside thought these were drunken sounds. Others recognised praise in the language of their home area.
Praying in tongues is praying in sounds, sounds which seem like a language. Neither the person speaking, nor anyone hearing, understands what is being said. Very occasionally today someone recognises the sounds as a language they know. In Uganda when I was there in April 2004, an older woman who had not been to school spoke a few words in English! Paul writes that tongues may also be an angels’ language. (1 Cor. 13:1)
Praying in tongues is unusual, to say the least. It is weird. The whole idea usually takes some becoming used to.
Praying in tongues is an ancient Christian practice which has been revived over the last 100 years. St Francis of Assisi prayed in tongues, as did a number of early Baptists and Methodists. Nowadays a good number of Christians, including Bishops and Archdeacons, pray in tongues. You won’t hear it very often, as, mostly, people use praying in tongues in private.
Justin Welby, former Archbishop of Canterbury, prays in tongues every day. A sceptical newspaper reporter challenged him: ‘You don’t pray in tongues, do you?’ ‘Oh yes,’ the Archbishop replied. The reporter commented he replied ‘almost as if he had been asked if he plays tennis.’
A gift of the Holy Spirit
Praying in tongues is a notable way of praying in partnership with the Holy Spirit. We feel that this is not just us praying, but the Holy Spirit praying with us from inside us. This sense can come in other ways as well, but praying in tongues is the most obvious.
Tongues are not received as a payment or as a reward but as a gift. Sometimes people ask why some more immature Christians pray in tongues whereas some more mature Christians don’t. Tongues are not a mark of maturity or something that we pay for by a holy life, either before or after we have received them. (In Acts 8 Peter rebuked Simon for wanting to buy the gift of the Spirit,) Praying in tongues is not a reason to feel proud. Tongues are a good gift from the Father to his children. We trust that he always gives good gifts (Luke 11:13) and we ask him for this gift in particular. (We find it helpful when someone tells us what we would like for our birthday. Our Father is probably the same.)
A flow in and through our personality
People who are naturally quiet will pray in tongues quietly. People who are naturally loud will pray in tongues loudly. The Holy Spirit does not override us but flows within us. We do not feel less like unique people, we become more fully the people God made us to be. We are built up in every way, in our own personalities.
In a two-way conversation with Jesus, I said ‘Good morning Jesus. You say to pray in tongues as well. Must do that more.’ I think he replied: ‘Yes that makes quite a difference to how you feel and how the Spirit flows within you.’
Our choice
Luke wrote “they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability.” (Acts 2:4) Note that they began to speak. We decide to speak. Often, we begin making sounds and, as we speak, the Holy Spirit flows in us and gives us more sounds.
Although our expectation may be that praying in tongues will start spontaneously, given by the Holy Spirit, this is rare. Most people begin by choosing to make some random, child-like, sounds. After a while, the sounds seem to have a life of their own. Beginning according to our choice assures us that we are not being taken over. We retain the ability to start and stop when we want. We let go of controlling which sounds come out of our mouth.
People who have learnt to pray in tongues can always choose to pray in this way at any time they want to. Our mouth is like a tap. We open the tap by making a few random sounds. The Holy Spirit then flows in us as streams of living water. We control the tap but we do not control what comes out of the tap. The flow may then be short or long depending on the occasion and what the Spirit wants to say. At any time, we can choose also to shut our mouths and turn the tap off, even before the flow has finished naturally. The Holy Spirit is ‘willing to yield.’ (James 3:17) Praying in tongues is good for everyone but not essential. We choose to have and to use the gift or not.
Often transferred from person to person.
The usual way for someone to receive the gift of tongues is to have someone who already has the gift to pray for them, often with the laying on of hands. This is the same as with any anointing of the Spirit, including the anointing of oversight passed on from Bishop to Bishop through the traditional Apostolic Succession.
More for private use than public prayer
In 1 Corinthians 14:27 Paul limits the use of tongues in public worship to “two or at most three” people, as long as there are also people present who can bring the interpretation. “But if there is no one to interpret, let them (people who pray in tongues) be silent in church and speak to themselves and to God.” (v28) If we keep to these guidelines, tongues are a good part of our church worship and a way in which God can speak to us.
The main use of tongues is in private prayer as each child of God expresses their own heart to our Father in the special language he has given. If we never hear tongues in public worship this is not a problem – although it is good to hear tongues sometimes, along with every other type of worship and prayer.
Goes with an interpretation
If you pray in tongues for a while, and then ask God for the interpretation, wait in silence for a few moments and then speak out whatever comes in your own language. You will probably be saying the same thing as you have just prayed in tongues but this time you will understand it.
This is meant to happen when praying in tongues is used in public. (1 Cor. 14:27) The leader asks God for an interpretation, the congregation pauses, and then someone feels a gentle nudge to speak out in the language of the people. A few words of human language come gently to mind. As these words are spoken out, more come until they end naturally. The same also happens when praying on our own.
Why would I want to pray in tongues?
For everyone
In 1 Corinthians 14:5 Paul wrote, “Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues…” He himself prayed in tongues (1 Cor. 14:18) and thought that this was something that anyone could do. Praying in tongues began on the day of Pentecost, and was the most noticeable feature of what the Holy Spirit did on that day. Peter then explained to the crowd that what they were hearing was for everyone. (Acts 2)
In 1 Corinthians 12:10 Paul wrote of tongues as a gift, given to different people, which can make us think that tongues are for some people and not others. Paul is here explaining that there are special anointings of ordinary qualities on particular people which raise them above the ordinary. Faith is one of these gifts (1 Cor. 12:9) – some people have a special anointing of faith. But we know also that all Christians have ‘ordinary’ faith. So it is with tongues: some people have a special anointing of praying in tongues, others pray in tongues in a more ‘ordinary’ way.
In a two-way conversation with Jesus, I thought he said: ‘It is important that this gift is recognised as such and others are encouraged to try for themselves very soon in their journeys. So, say again to the Learners (new Christians group) that this is good and true and important for them to give it a go and Helen (co-leader) can help them with this!’
For people not good with words
Praying in tongues is particularly good for visual thinkers, dyslexics, and anyone not intellectual. Church can attract people who enjoyed school and did reasonably well, the sort of people who like to listen to a lecture (sermon), who sit still and don’t interrupt. These people can find it difficult to embrace praying in tongues. People who couldn’t be cooped up in school, who learn by seeing and doing rather than by listening, may well find praying tongues more suited to them.
I have had to become used to being humbled by people’s reaction to me praying in tongues with them. ‘When you pray in English, it’s good.’ I have heard often. ‘But when you do that funny prayer, it’s better.’ My most experienced and professional and polished prayer in English is discounted compared to me babbling in sounds.
Builds us up
In 1 Corinthians 14:4 Paul wrote: “Those who pray in a tongue build themselves up…” Any Christian who feels in need of building up in faith and strength can pray in tongues and, as the Holy Spirit flows in them in this way, they are built up.
Jackie Pullinger said: ‘“This is such a super gift and God is not picky in just giving it to some people. It’s the only gift of the Spirit that builds you up. So why not all have it? That’s why we read the Bible isn’t it? And tongues will be a great help if you know almost anyone with problems.” [1]
Enjoyable and playful
Speaking in tongues, especially to begin with, may feel like going back to being a little child who has not yet learnt to speak properly. You just have fun with the different sounds you can make without worrying if they make sense to you, or to anyone else, apart from God. It is one way of becoming as little children, (Mark 10:15) and meant to be enjoyed.
Useful and powerful
We all have times when, as Paul writes, we do not know what to say in prayer. At times like this, we can pray in tongues and let the Holy Spirit pray in us. When we are tired or preoccupied, we can pray in tongues without having to give energy to working out what to say. Praying in tongues, being more a more direct flow of the Holy Spirit, is also powerful in a crisis, especially when faced with an unclean spirit.
When my father died. I took the phone call from the hospital and went. I didn’t know how to pray, what to say. My father had shown zero interest in faith of any kind, including mine. He had been good in some ways and not good in other ways. I walked around his side-room bed praying in tongues at length. Then I could sit quietly thankful for the love of Our Father in Heaven. All I needed to say had been said without me understanding what it was.
A way of being filled with the Spirit
On the day of Pentecost, when the apostles burst out in tongues, people outside thought they were drunk. The Holy Spirit can warm and lift us from inside, in a way a little similar to the effect of alcohol. Paul contrasts being drunk with wine with being filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) As alcohol gives freedom, from inhibition etc., the Spirit brings the freedom of the children of God, the freedom of living in forgiveness, not in fear but in power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7.)
Expresses our spirit
“If I pray in a tongue my spirit prays but my mind is unproductive.” (1 Corinthians 14:14) As we pray in tongues, our mind takes a rest for a while, as we allow our mouths to express what our spirit is saying, without it having to be processed through our mind. We are not just praying by ourselves; the Holy Spirit is praying with us from within our spirit.
Expresses our heart
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26) Praying in tongues is more emotional praying than ordinary prayer. For some people at some times, it is dramatically emotional, as on the day of Pentecost. At times it is quietly emotional, our heart feeling ‘strangely warm’ as we pray. Often it does not feel emotional at all. Sometimes, especially at the beginning, we feel more painful emotions as we pray in tongues. The Holy Spirit expresses what is in our heart so that he can then flow more freely in and through our heart like streams of living water. (John 7:38)
In a difficult time of my life, I noted in my journal: ‘Good, so good, to pray in yearning tongues, that feels healing as when Dad died! The comforter comforting indeed.’
Often the beginning of other gifts
Tongues were the first gift that the Holy Spirit gave to the disciples on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit went on to give them more gifts, notably of healing, knowledge and wisdom, as they faced being on trial before the authorities. Tongues were only the beginning, but a necessary beginning for them. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul lists the gifts of the Spirit with, it seems, the most valuable first – wisdom. Wisdom was the one gift for which Solomon asked and he was told that it was the most valuable he could have asked for. The last gift in this list, and therefore probably the least valuable, is tongues. Tongues are the beginning of other more valuable gifts. If you would like to see more healing when you pray, praying in tongues may well help.
Often leads into silence
Once the Holy Spirit has expressed all that is on our heart, we can then happily keep quiet for a while, knowing that our Father has heard us. We do not rush away once the tongues have finished, but stay with God, enjoying his peace and his presence. If he wants to give us or show us anything else. he will be more able to do this if we are waiting quietly with him. Although it sounds contradictory, ff you would like to pray more in quietness, praying in tongues will help.
Can help us go, or go back, to sleep
Most of us experience, at times, our minds not letting our bodies go to sleep or go back to sleep. When we pray in tongues, our attention can be more on the flow of sounds rather than on the insistence of our mind. We can tell our mind to focus on the sounds, listen to them, register them in our head. Sleep can then come more easily.
In a two-way conversation with Jesus, I thought he said: ‘There is a truth in what you are learning about switching off your logical mind, so tongues can help here as well! For when you are struggling to go to sleep, indeed, it is good to switch away from rationality as Mark V would say.’ (Mark Virkler who taught me, and many others, to have two-way conversations with Jesus. See How to have two way conversations with Jesus – Fresh Bible Answers)
Enhances life
Praying in tongues helps the Holy Spirit to flow in us in every way, including in giving life to our mortal bodies. (Romans 8:11)
I enjoy hiking. In a two-way conversation with Jesus, I thought he said: ‘Yes, your body is working well. Note that walking while praying in tongues helped your body to enjoy and coordinate the walking. A harmony indeed centred around the Spirit within! So when you need that do the same again, walking and praying in tongues is great!’ Writing this has been a good reminder to me to pray in tongues when hiking and when doing many other things.
A preparation for Paradise
In a two-way conversation with Jesus, I thought he was commending me for praying in tongues with a small group of people. ‘Tongues was good and right… and you can use that another time like that! This is a normal way for my Spirit to speak, so use it like that when you can, even at the hospice, so that they are not too confused later when they hear it again in Paradise!’
Jesus’ words were a surprise to me. Then I remembered Paul writing that tongues can be a language of angels. In Paradise we may well hear angels talking.
Any challenges of praying in tongues?
Means letting God have control of our mouth
The most difficult aspect of praying in tongues is that we have to give up control of a small area of our life – our tongue. While we are speaking in tongues, we chose not to control with our mind what comes out, we welcome whatever comes from within us and speak that out. This is a practical demonstration of our willingness to surrender to Jesus and his Spirit as Lord and of our faith and trust in him and in whatever he does in us. When we have made this small surrender, we may well find we are more firmly established in our faith and more able to welcome the Holy Spirit flowing in other ways as well as in tongues.
Surrendering our vocal chords to the Holy Spirit is not easy. As with all prayer, we have to be deliberate about praying in tongues. Otherwise, we won’t get round to it.
A way of offering our body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1,2).
A dead temple sacrifice was an animal body put into the fire, surrendered to the fire, so that it was burnt up. A living sacrifice is a living body surrendered to the fire of the Holy Spirit flowing in us. The Holy Spirit flows throughout our body, in fire or living waters or in anything he or we want. He influences our living bodies, particularly our vocal chords. Praying in tongues is something we do with one part of our bodies, an invitation for the Holy Spirit to burn up within us. As we do this, Paul writes, our minds are renewed, more able to see and welcome the good.
Is weird; can be criticised
People can think that praying in tongues is primitive and pagan, the sort of thing that witchdoctors and shamans do, along with their frenzied dancing. Praying in tongues has been criticised as encouraging the kind of wild sexual emotionalism practised in the Greek and Roman cult of Dionysius – drunken religious orgies. Noone has ever been led into an orgy by praying in tongues, but a few people have claimed this could happen.
Most people’s criticism is not so extreme, rather a reaction to something they do not understand and which makes them feel uncomfortable. Praying in tongues is a mixture of being in control, able to start and stop when we like, and not being in control, not choosing which sounds we make. Many people are afraid of being out of control, so need reassurance. The journalist who interviewed Justin Welby clearly thought that praying in tongues is religion gone crazy.
A good number of people are reassured when they hear someone praying in tongues, especially as they witness the person starting and stopping and not, otherwise, going crazy. A few people, though, are spooked by hearing praying in tongues and can be either sharply critical or they distance themselves.
If you talk about your praying in tongues, and sometimes pray in tongues with people who are not used to it, you may experience criticism and ridicule.
My experience is that Christians are more likely to be critical of praying in tongues than people with little Christian faith. Before praying, I explain that I will pray in a language which they don’t understand and check that this is OK. After praying, the non-Christians often ask what language that was, or make a positive comment. If I have seen them again, they have often asked me ‘do that funny praying’ again. Some Christians are the same. Other Christians want more explanation or say they prefer I don’t pray that way.
For us to want, to ask for, and to be prepared to use.
Jesus said, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty, come to me, and let the one who believes in me, drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s belly shall flow rivers of living water.” ‘ (‘Belly’ is the literal translation of the Greek..)
(John 7:37,38)
First, we have to be thirsty. To receive the gift of tongues we have to want it enough to ask for it and go on asking for it. We tell God that we are serious about having this gift. We will not use it only a few times, but go on using this gift for the rest of our lives. We don’t say “If you want to give it to me, I’m not stopping you.” We say, “Please give me this gift, as soon as you can, preferably now!” This is real asking. Those who receive are those who ask. (Luke 11:9)
We have to come to Jesus. We have to move from where we are and go to where we see Jesus giving this gift. If this means going to another church or another person, because we sense that Jesus is with them, giving this gift, that’s what we have to do.
We also have to drink. We have to take in what is given to us, swallow something. This may be a new teaching, which we are initially wary of ‘swallowing’ but which we realise is not in contradiction to the Bible. This may be a symbolic sucking in and swallowing of the air as people pray for us.
How do we start praying in tongues?
Aak
Simply ask! Sometimes people ask in their own private prayer and receive the gift. More often, people ask with another Christian who already has the gift. The main thing is simply that you ask. Know that you are coming to Jesus and asking him. Maybe picture yourself coming to him as you begin.
Want to be holy
Know that you are asking the Holy Spirit to flow in you. The Holy Spirit will want to clean you, over time, of anything unholy in you. Rather than encourage wild lust, the Holy Spirit will encourage and enable Christian self-control and chastity. Be prepared to let go of hatred, resentment and selfishness within you. If you are aware of having done anything unholy, anything you would be embarrassed to talk to people about, first ask Jesus to forgive and clean you, maybe through praying with others, and then ask for the gift of tongues.
Use picture language
As you ask, it is helpful also for you to choose a picture of how the Holy Spirit might give you the gift of tongues. You could ask for fire to come down on your head as on the day of Pentecost, or a stream of water from which you could drink, or the Holy Spirit as a dove, as at Jesus’ baptism, or any other picture that expresses how you are asking the Holy Spirit to come to you.
Wait
After asking, pause and be quiet, waiting to see what happens. In the quietness, try taking a couple of deep breaths and deliberately swallow – symbolically drinking from Jesus.
Make your own sounds
For most people, no sounds come entirely by themselves. If you have waited a while, start making your own nonsense sounds. Keep going, relax, smile and welcome whatever comes. Before long, you will find your sounds have a life of their own, rather than you deliberately making them. This reinforces the good truth that praying in tongues is under our control. The Holy Spirit does not take over.
Welcome what comes
If something comes, speak that out. If you are praying with someone who already prays in tongues you can begin by copying them as they pray. A few people have begun by seeing an angel, and hearing the angel say something they did not understand. As they spoke out what the angel was saying or singing, praying in tongues began. A few people pray and then fall asleep and wake up with new sounds in their head. Speak out these new sounds.
What comes may be dramatic and powerful, like a dam bursting so that the streams of living water gush out. If so, enjoy the sounds and let them flow. The sounds are more likely to be quieter and gentle, the streams beginning as a little trickle. If only one or two sounds come (for instance “Abba babba bibabba,”) let these flow too. Speak them out and repeat them. Thank Jesus for the beginning he has given you and, as you speak, maybe over several days, the flow will increase, with more sounds, more like a stream than a trickle. This is like learning a human language, starting with a phrase or two.
One lovely older Christian woman in Walsall decided she wanted to pray in tongues. What came to her first was ‘ping… pong…’ That was all. She prayed ‘ping pong’ for a few days and then it began to develop and grow ‘Ping pong pang plang…’ and more, until it flowed like a language.
Go ahead
Try to be confident in speaking out what comes. Many of us are hesitant at first, not sure if this really is tongues or just us being silly. Try not to worry about whether you are being silly or not. Like a little child who is excited with a new gift, be confident and as bold as you can be. If you are with other people and find yourself wanting to pray loudly, you can go somewhere where to be alone with God and pray without disturbing anyone else. Jesus used to rise early in the morning and go away from people to pray – perhaps because he did not want to disturb them.
If at first you don’t receive – keep asking. (Luke 11:5-10)
Once we have received the gift of tongues, what then?
Use tongues regularly. The more you use tongues, the more familiar you will be with them and the more the Spirit will flow. Make praying in tongues a regular part of your life with God, maybe for at least 5 minutes each morning or at least 10 minutes on Sunday mornings.
Learn to pray quietly in tongues so that you can pray like this wherever you are. Try singing in tongues occasionally – when singing a song in church keep to the tune everyone else is singing and use tongues instead of the words on the screen or in the book. Let this gift become part of your life, something that you can turn to at any time, but mostly as you pray alone to your Father in heaven, in the special language he has given you.
When you are reasonably confident in praying in tongues by yourself, be open to praying in tongues with someone else, for instance with a neighbour who has been injured in a car crash and welcomes your offer to pray with them. Explain that, sometimes, you pray in a different language, which they will not understand. Check that this is OK. Very rarely will they say no. Pray in your language first, pause, and then pray in tongues. If you ask them after the prayer, how they found that, you will be encouraged.
Further reading:
The Gift of Speaking in Tongues Mark Cartledge, Grove Books
A booklet introduction giving more of the theology of praying in tongues.
Chasing the Dragon by Jackie Pullinger (with Andrew Quicke) Hodder 1980 & 2001
An exciting tale of using tongues in Hong Kong especially with drug addicts.
[1] Jackie Pullinger is the founder of the St Stephen’s Society in Hong Kong. She and the Society work with drug addicts and other ‘failures’ in life. They find that praying in tongues is a key part of recovery from addiction and growth in faith. She tells the story of her early work in Hong Kong in the book ‘Chasing the Dragon.’