Praying with Tongues and Interpretation

by John Edwards

The late Derek Prince said:

"My wife and I pray regularly together when we're at home, morning and evening - and if we did not do that we would not have the ministry we have. I don't believe any married couple should spend a day without praying together morning and evening..."

And he testified that one day:

"...The Lord had spoken to us while we were praying together through the gifts of the Spirit - that is, through tongues and interpretation - my wife received the tongues, and I received the interpretation..."

While they did so, he said he heard himself say some words that came from God for him - just something simple, about somewhere God was going to take him and something God was going to show him, something he wasn't expecting...

...and in process of time that, and his response to it all, led to the opening up of the whole next phase of God’s will for their life and international ministry. Something far more than he’d imagined, with much more widespread blessing for many, and more satisfying to him personally.

So much was unfolded and achieved, not by praying only with their understanding, but by praying with tongues and interpretation also.

Praying with tongues and interpretation is an effective tool that is available to us!

Whether speaking publicly, or at home praying with somebody else, or even by yourself - the Holy Spirit can well-up inside of you - and you can choose to co-operate with that and speak in tongues, as the Spirit gives you the utterance - and then very often some words, wisdom, knowledge or revelation filters through into your understanding - and often that is the interpretation of tongues.

Very often after yielding to the Spirit to speak with tongues, you just know what to say or do next - in any situation: either in your personal circumstances, or in a public meeting, or when counselling others.

Tongues and interpretation can open things up - open the right thing up, at the right time. Often something you might not have thought of otherwise.

"What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (14:15).

"...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" (14:2).

"If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret" (14:27).

"...to one is given by the Spirit...divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues" (I Corinthians 12:8,10).

"Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret” (14:13).

"...they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26).