The Gift of Tongues
This is actually a very common gift today. Most people know someone else who "speaks in tongues," but that might be as far as it goes because the gift can be difficult to understand if you're new to it.
Speaking in tongues is the ability the Holy Spirit gives to pray in a spontaneous
manner using words and sounds we do not understand. The person has the freedom to start and stop as desired, yet it is God who forms
the words. This sounds incredible, but it's genuine.
I relate my experience here:
Receiving Charismatic Gifts
Based on experience I've noticed it's usually more effective to specifically request tongues first, which seems to "un-cork" the wine.
Why?
- Tongues is an encoded “I Love You”. Not just a gift of prayer, but a catalyst of praise—what the angels do, which is one reason some call it angelic language—a pure form of worship.
- It is God in you praying for you.
- One reason we don't value tongues more: we don't know the Power of Praise.
- It is a lubricant to ease us into contemplative prayer, where we utter mysteries with our spirit, not data-to-data, but heart-to-heart. It's a communing that's blocked from the devil through a private "encrypted line"; perhaps the reason the devil can't understand it is because it's full of love — "more than words". See Theresa of Avila's description in : Tongues Described
- The gift Is a perfect example of how God enjoys arriving via disguise.
- C. S. Lewis thought it would be odd if tongies didn't exist for then there would be nothing that maps to Heaven that has no apparent earthly practical value.
- If tognues is not completed with prophecy (I Cor 14) then Paul says it doesn't build the body (only yourself), so the normal practical benefit is to ask God for a response. Tongues is the question; prophecy is the answer.
- It is a microcosm of Christianity—we can't do it without Christ, Christ won't do it without us.
One normal way to receive tongues is to take initiative to vocally thank God. If you keep silent you probably won't ever receive it. (If you don't expect much, you probably won't be disappointed!) It is a gift of praise, so simply begin by loving God out loud and wait until the Spirit comes upon you.
Tongues is speaking on man's behalf to God; while prophecy is speaking on God's behalf to men. Thus, one of the purposes of tongues is to release message from the Spirit. See
The Present of Prophecy
Leap
Those who pray in tongues are sometime accused of being drunk! —with God's joy. And actually, entering into this gift requires a little extra effort, like uncorking a bottle of wine.
I need your whole heart.
Hold back nothing and even more so, do not let anything hinder its release to Me. There are so many locks on your heart: pride, guilt, doubt, self-righteousness, fear, worry, among others. Let go and fall back on Me for once.
Trust that as you leap to Me, I will catch you, as I supported Peter on the water. Nothing of this world supports or encourages leaping. But My Word calls for it and there is no greater truth on which you can rely. What are you afraid might happen? Have I called you to do it? Then what could go wrong? My Holy Spirit is with you every step of the way of your life anyhow. So why not leap as He directs?
More peace awaits following you stepping out than if you stayed in the boat, where you are left to ponder and imagine in your mind only things that fall far short of the glory I have yet to reveal from one step of faith.