Originally posted by lambslove
All I can tell you is, my neighbor was praying in tongues one day and I asked her to repeat what she had just said. She couldn't. She didn't remember what sounds she had just made and ended up changing the pattern of sounds altogether. She said it WAS the same thing and I just wasn't listening. Furthermore, her prayers don't seem anymore effective or powerful than my own, and I pray in English.
She probably couldn't repeat it because she was 'led by the Spirit' at that time. Praying in tongues isn't something that we can really manipulate/control with our human mind.
I suppose it is different because when we pray in tongues, we endeavour to shed all our human limitations (mind/heart/body) and tune in to God's spirit. I hope what I am saying doesn't creep you out or confuse you. When I pray in tongues
sometimes...I'm like..God I don't trust my words, I don't trust my heart and I don't have the strength to pray to you but I know that I
needyou even more so I am communing with you in my Spirit.
Because God you
know my heart, my mind, my limitations and you know what is Your will for me.
Originally posted by lambslove
If it were really language she was speaking, and if she understood what she was saying, she would have been able to repeat it to me.
It is a spiritual language. If it were a human language, she could. However even if she were speaking Tamil and she had no knowledge of Tamil before, I don't think she could have recalled sufficiently to repeat it all to you at the time you asked her to.
Originally posted by lambslove
To say that God answers prayers better when they are prayed in tongues is to say that the answer doesn't depend on God's will for us, but on what WE do.
lambslove, I liked your post because it is very genuine and comes from your heart. All I can say is..I think there are many things that us human beings know imperfectly, as in we don't know the
whole part. But as God leads us, we will know more. Concerning the above, look up
Dutch Sheets' Intercessory Prayer He asks a lot of questions about Prayer and tries to answer them truthfully and in a balanced way. If he doesn't know, he admits he doesn't know but in his book, he quests for answers and depends on God to lead him in his ministry. I haven't finished reading his book but a few of my friends have (both charismatic and non-charismatic) and they all think the book is GREAT! : )