“Pastor, during prayer, at what point do I speak in tongue?”

So in Luke chapter 11 when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, He didn’t say anything about speaking in tongues. We know that they had not received the Holy Spirit as at that time, but if speaking in tongues needed to have a special section during our regular prayer time, then Jesus would have mentioned it. Let’s read from scriptures:

Luke 11:
2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Just as I mentioned yesterday, Jesus’s lesson on effective regular prayer must begin with hallowing or blessing the name of your heavenly Father. And hallowing His name means to make a joyful shout of His numerous names. And while you do that, accompany it with thanksgiving and praise. According to Psalms 100:4, it is this first level of prayer that grants you access to God’s presence. If you do this well, you’d definitely feel His presence in your heart.

And then the next thing is to focus on His kingdom’s manifestation on earth. And the way you do that is to pray that His will be done on earth just as it is in heaven or in the bible. So anything you find in the bible that is yet to be made manifest on the earth, you can pray about it at this point. Once you’re done with the kingdom, every other prayer is optional.

The disciples knew all of these, and even after the Holy Ghost came, they still practiced this pattern of prayer. Let me show you a scripture where they practiced this prayer pattern:

Acts 4:
24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together
28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Just look at that! Did you notice how they followed Jesus’s lesson carefully? And it’s even amazing how powerfully that prayer pattern worked for them. Notice also that the bible didn’t mention anything about praying in tongues as they prayed, they only followed Jesus’s pattern of prayer.

The emphasis on praying in tongues began with Apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians 14:2, he said, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries”.

This means that speaking in tongues is an exclusive language or spiritual dialect used by a baptized man to communicate with God. I could pray in English and God will still hear, but if I need to shot the devil and everyone else out, I switch to tongues. This is something we even practice naturally, we generally speak in English, but when we are in a crowd and we want to keep our conversation private, we use our local dialect. Of course, when a conversation requires that you switch to your dialect, then it means something deep needs to be communicated😅.

If this is correct, then it means you can pray every segment of Jesus’s pattern of prayer in tongues. You can hallow God’s name in tongues, just as you can pray about His kingdom in tongues. Praying in tongues doesn’t need to have a special moment, just as praying in Igbo language doesn’t need a special moment. You may decide which language best fits what you want to communicate to God. If you feel like your normal English won’t deliver your point well, then switch to the language of tongues while you focus your thoughts on the point.

Now if you ask me which is better, whether to pray in tongues or in your normal language, I’d respond with what Apostle Paul said about praying in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14:18. He said, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all”. This tells me that it’s far better to pray in tongues than in a general language. Moreover, we previously read that praying in tongues edifies our spirit.

So, as you pray, learn to switch languages. Pray with tongues, and pray in your understanding.

I hope this has brought enlightenment to someone.

Remain ever blessed!

#EmekaAnslem