Praying in the Spirit: Some Marvelous Effects of Praying in the Spirit
In what way does praying in the Spirit, that is, in tongues, edify a Christian? From personal experience and from the recorded experiences of others, I can say that the use of this personal prayer language has turned worried, fearful, depressed, bored, and doubting Christians into Christians filled with peace, joy, boldness, excitement, and faith. Throughout this worldwide outpouring of God’s Spirit, people testify to a deeper level of communion with God, to a greater sense of God’s presence and God’s guidance, to a greater power to overcome temptation, and to the dissolution of fear of being used by God. These are specifically effects of praying to God privately or devotionally, yet it is easy to see how such effects would be helpful not only to the individual but to the local church and the Church universal.
“In Pentecostal and charismatic churches the value of the gift of tongues in corporate worship has been inestimable as time after time the Spirit has penetrated man’s world of worship to awaken congregations to a plane of existence beyond this world.”
Not only do these Scriptures tell us that when we pray in tongues, we pray for those urgent needs unknown to the mind, but they tell us that our prayers are “in accordance with God’s will.” This dissolves another human limitation, for so many times we waste our efforts praying for things that are not in accordance with God’s will. No wonder that some charismatics have stated that when they pray in tongues, they pray with an ability and an authority that is not their own—“the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4).
“These Scriptures tell us that when we pray in tongues, we pray for those urgent needs unknown to the mind, but they also tell us that our prayers are ‘in accordance with God’s will.’”
Category: Spirit, Spring 1999