Reason Number 4
Speaking in tongues eliminates the possibility of selfishness entering our prayer life. For
instance, if I pray a prayer out of my own mind and out of my own thinking, it may be
unscriptural. It may be selfish. Too many times our prayers are like the old farmer who always
prayed, "God bless me, my wife, my son John, his wife — us four and no more."
Paul wrote to the Church at Rome, ". . . we know not what we should pray for as we ought. . ."
(Rom. 8:26). He didn't say we didn't know how to pray, because we do know how we are to
pray. We are to pray to the Father in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:23,24).
That is the correct way to pray. But just because I know how to pray doesn't mean that I know
what to pray for as I ought. So Paul said, ". . . we know not what we should pray for as we
ought: but the Spirit itself [ Himself] maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered" (Rom. 8:26).
P. C. Nelson, a Greek scholar and the founder of Southwestern Bible Institute, said that the
Greek in Romans 8:26 literally reads, ". . . the Holy Ghost maketh intercession for us in
groanings that cannot be uttered in articulate speech."
Articulate speech means your regular kind of speech. He went on to point out that the Greek
stresses that this not only includes groanings escaping your lips in prayer, but also praying in
other tongues. That agrees with what Paul said in First Corinthians 14:14, "For if I pray in an
unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth. . . ." The Amplified Bible says, ". . . my spirit [by the Holy
Spirit within me] prays. . .."
People should be careful making fun of tongues, because when people make f un of tongues,
they are making fun of the Holy Ghost. When you pray in tongues, it is your spirit praying by
the Holy Spirit within you. It is the Holy Spirit within giving you the utterance, and you are
speaking from out of your spirit. You do the talking; the Holy Spirit gives the utterance.
By praying with groanings and with other tongues, the Holy Spirit is helping you to pray
according to the will of God — to pray as things should be prayed for. This isn't something the
Holy Ghost does apart from you. He doesn't groan or speak in tongues apart from you. Those
groanings that cannot be uttered in articulate speech come from inside of you — from your
spirit — and escape your own lips.
The Holy Ghost is not going to do your praying for you. He is sent to dwell in us as a
Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby (John 14:16 Amp.). The
Holy Spirit is not responsible for our prayer life. He is sent to help us pray. Speaking with other
tongues is praying as the Spirit gives utterance. It is Spirit-directed praying. It eliminates the
possibility of selfishness in our prayers.
Many times when people have prayed out of their own minds, they have prayed for
circumstances to change that were actually not the will of God and were not best. If God's
people want things a certain way, even if it isn't best for them or is not God's will, He will often
permit it.
For example, God did not want Israel to have a king, but they wanted one, so He permitted
them to have one (1 Sam. 8:4-7). But a king was not His perfect will for them.