Book of Psalms, prophecy was used in prayer and praise to God. As a matter of fact, the
whole Book of Psalms was given by the spirit of prophecy. The Psalms were Israel's prayer
and songbook. Some of the psalms are prayers that were given by inspired utterance.
We can see prophecy being used in the believer's prayer life in the New Testament too. For
example, in Ephesians 5:19, believers are encouraged to speak to themselves ". . . in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." That is
the gift of prophecy in operation.
Many times while praying, a person can speak in tongues and then speak out things by the
Spirit of God. Speaking with tongues is the beginning of the things of the Spirit, because
speaking with tongues is the door into the supernatural. And we know that the gift of tongues is
given to every Spirit-filled believer as the evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Also, Jesus didn't say that just a few disciples should speak with tongues. He said that all
believers should speak with tongues: "And these signs shall follow them that believe . . . they
shall speak with new tongues" (Mark 16:17).
But God wants every Spirit-filled believer to do more than speak with tongues. He wants us to
be able to interpret what we pray in tongues, as the Spirit leads. "Wherefore let him that
speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret" (1 Cor. 14:13). God wouldn't tell us
to pray for something we couldn't have. Of course, it is not necessary to interpret everything
we pray in the Spirit in our own private prayer life.
And then, of course, there is also the public use of the gift of interpretation of tongues. That is
to be used in the local assembly: "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" (1 Cor. 14:27). Not every
believer will have this gift; not every believer will minister publicly in the gift of interpretation of
tongues.
And God also wants us to prophesy in order to bring comfort and encouragement to the Body
of Christ because the Bible plainly says, ". . . desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may
prophesy . . . he that prophesieth edifieth the church" (1 Cor. 14:1,4). Through this gift of
prophecy we can speak super-naturally, not only unto believers and for our own personal
benefit, but we can also speak supernatu-rally unto God (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).
Prophesying in your own personal prayer life begins with speaking in other tongues (1 Cor.
14:2). In my own experience, for example, as I pray in other tongues, my spirit is in direct
contact with God, yet I am communicating with Him in a tongue that is unknown to me.
When you are speaking in tongues, that is a supernatural utterance in an unknown tongue.
Paul said when we pray in an unknown tongue, our understanding is unfruitful, unless we
interpret what we are praying (1 Cor. 14:14,15). In other words, we don't always know what we
are praying about when we pray in other tongues. However, when you pray with prophecy, you
can listen to yourself speak in a known tongue and, therefore, you can know what you are
saying.
Very often praying in tongues is a springboard to go into prophecy in prayer. Remember,
prophecy in its broadest sense is inspired utterance. For example, sometimes I pray about
certain things with my own understanding, which may not necessarily be inspired utterance at
all. I may just be praying as well as I know how to about the situation in my own understanding