If you have never spoken in tongues before, you may not fully understand or appreciate what I am going to share with you on praying in the Holy Spirit. Hopefully, you will read through this post and ask the Lord to give you understanding.
When the Apostle Paul wrote to his “beloved son” in the faith, Timothy, he didn’t expect him to understand everything immediately, so he wrote:
“Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” 2 Timothy 2:7 NASV.
Notice that, although Timothy had sat under Paul’s ministry for years, he still expected him to receive his understanding from the Lord. He didn’t want him to try to figure everything out for himself.
This is also true concerning this entire series on holiness. Do not try to figure out these things for yourself. Instead, ask the Lord to give you understanding, as you meditate on what I will be sharing with you.
Now let me start by saying: Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying as the Holy Spirit gives you the utterance. It is a prophetic utterance given in another language. This is what makes praying in the Holy Spirit unique and different from all the other forms of prayer.
The Apostle Jude made reference to this kind of prayer, when he wrote:
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, PRAYING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 1:20-21 NKJV (emphasis mine).
As you can see from this passage, praying in the Holy Spirit enables you to build yourself up spiritually on your most holy faith. It strengthens you spiritually, and helps you develop your holy faith. Now that is powerful!
The Apostle Paul also wrote:
“If I PRAY in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding, I will also sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 NKJV (emphasis mine).
As you can see, praying in tongues enables your spirit to pray in the Holy Spirit. According to Paul, we have the ability to pray both ways: with our spirits and with our understanding. When we pray in the Holy Spirit, He enables us to pray for things we do not know how to pray for.
The Apostle Paul put it this way, when he wrote:
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. FOR WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD PRAY FOR AS WE OUGHT, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”. Romans 8:26-27 NKJV (emphasis mine).
This means that, when we pray in the Holy Spirit, it is the Holy Spirit who is helping us to pray for the saints according to the will of God. The reason we need His help is because we do not know exactly how to pray for each person, but He does. He enables us to pray for others according to the perfect will of God. Now you can’t get better help than that, can you? This is why it is so vital to learn to always pray in the Holy Spirit, when praying for others.
In fact, when a strong burden comes upon you to pray in the Spirit, there is a great earnestness that will come upon you. Paul calls it groanings which cannot be uttered. Paul said that these groanings will accompany your praying in the Spirit. You may experience a measure of this yourself, when you intercede for others.
The Apostle Paul also wrote:
“PRAYING ALWAYS WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IN THE (HOLY)SPIRIT, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints . . ” Ephesians 6:18 NKJV.
Again, Paul emphasizes the need to pray in the Spirit for the saints. I have often said from the pulpit, “If all the saints pray for all the saints, then all the saints will be prayed for.” It is part of our service to God to pray for the saints in the Church. By praying in the Holy Spirit, our spirits are able to commune with God on a supernatural level that increases our holy faith, and enables us to pray effectively for others. And, of course, this also applies to praying for yourself or the needs of your family.
As I have said before, the Holy Spirit has not only set us apart from the world, He has also set us apart for God. We have been set apart for God for three basic reasons: that we might live for God, that we might worship God, and that we might serve God. By praying in the Holy Spirit, we can serve God by interceding for the saints according to the will of God. Isn’t that amazing?
Now after you intercede in the Spirit with a heavy burden upon you, you will often feel a release from that burden and a great joy and peace will flood your innermost being. That is often when you may find yourself singing with your spirit, as Paul mentioned in the earlier passage. It is a great joy to be able to commune with God in this way, by singing with your spirit to the Lord.
Finally, praying in the Holy Spirit will give you such an awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit within you. Yes, you are the temple of God through the Holy Spirit! This will also help you live a holy life, and live a life of service to God and His saints here on earth.
You are holy, dear saint!
Next week we will look at: “The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit.”
Steve Smith
This is Day Nine of a series on The Life of A Saint, a 31-day devotional
*As a footnote, if you have never spoken in tongues, and you would like to, ask God to baptize you in the Holy Spirit right now. Take a moment to let Him do it, as you praise Him and worship Him. Then open your mouth and start speaking in tongues.
The key to praying in the Spirit is: You do the speaking, and the Holy Spirit gives the utterance. It is that simple!
Once you begin to speak, then start and stop several times, until you are confident you can speak at any time.
Let me encourage you by saying, you can speak in tongues as easily. I have seen hundreds of people of all ages, and different denominational backgrounds, speak in tongues in a few moments, after praying this prayer. You will, too!
Are You Holy? 
I just finished reading this posting and I am very perplexed. When I listen to people speaking in tongues at Church (even the Pastors), they are repeating the same 2 or 3 words over and over again every time I hear them. Is this praying in tongues, or am I missing something? I don’t talk in Bible verses like a lot of you do, I only know what I hear. And it can appear as an attempt to show off for everyone. C’mon Steve, maybe you can explain this to me! Is it really such a big deal and will I be off to Hell for not wanting to speak in tongues?!
A concerned Christian,
***Sadie***:)
Hi Sadie! You are holy, dear saint, whether speak in tongues or not.
Thank you, Rev. Steve. As an afterthought, I felt I wrote that comment with a slight hint of anger. O.K. a lot of anger, but I read somewhere that prayer language is best for when you are alone and that speaking in tongues should always be followed with an interpretation. Is that correct? In a nutshell, this could be a form of self-edification to just yell it out all willy nilly. I don’t know, just my thoughts.
***Sadie*** Look Up And Keep Smiling 🙂