May 23, 2021 · Acts 2:1–12

Praying in Tongues

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.* Now, it does say here "wordless groans." Sometimes you don't know what you're going to say. It's like, "Ah" — and then God hears your heart. I also believe that tongues — when you speak out in a language you don't understand, or in syllables you don't understand, and you're just letting it go, glossolalia, or tongues like this (people often call it a prayer language) — the Spirit is speaking to God your heart that you don't know. And that's why it's so useful for people who are able to receive it, because they can give their heart things that they don't even know are in there, and just offer it up to God, and speak it out, and it edifies themselves. It actually is a blessing. That's why practising praying in tongues can be such a powerful thing for someone, because it allows their spirit to speak to God things that they can't even intellectually wrestle with or understand. It's letting that stuff out to God — their heart's desire and cry. So again, there's a debate. What is tongues? Is it a real human language, spoken, miraculous? Is it a private prayer language? Yes.”