My speaking in tongues gift has been behaving strange lately. I am curious if there is anyone here who can interpret what I am saying in this audio clip:
Vocaroo | Online voice recorder
Would be much appreciated, thank you!
Hi Job405,
There are a few issues here. Firstly, there are gifts (plural) of tongues. Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 12:28. This passage is not referring to people merely speaking different languages but that there are different gifts. On the Day of Pentecost the Holyh Spirit fell on the people and they began to speak in tongues. Those present heard them and understood what they were saying. In other words the disciples were speaking in a language that was recognisable and understandable.
In 1 Corinthians 14:2 Paul writes: For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands
him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
The gift of speaking in an unknown tongue as explained in this passage is really about a prayer language. This is further confirmed in I Cor 14:14:
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
The person speaking in tongues speaks to God and what he says makes sense to no one but God. Surely this can't be the same experience as the one on pentecost otherwise people would understand what was being said.
Finally, there is the experience described in 1 Corinthians 14:5 which is about prophesying in tongues. Paul writes:
I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
In this passage Paul suggests that it is possible to say something in tongues and interpret it so that others might benefit. I should mention that all three can occur at the same time depending on what the Holy Spirit wants to achieve. While praying in your closet you might find yourself saying something that sounds like a message to someone or even to yourself.
When it comes to interpretation: the Day of Pentecost type tongues can be interpreted straightaway by anyone who understands the language being spoken.
On the other hand a prophetic message delivered in an unknown tongue requires inspiration of the Holy Spirit to interpret. Usually it works like this; a message is spoken in tongues and the interpretation follows suit through the same person or someone else present at the time. As soon as you have spoken the word in tongues you experience a burden to say something else in your language that is the equivalent of what you said in tongues. Alternatively you might get a thought. Following that thought leads to a revelation which again you might experience an urge to say aloud or simply write down.
Recording a word in tongues and sending it out for others to interpret is probably not the best way forward as the interpretation is delivered on the spot. Next time you pray in tongues and sense that you are also saying something else that is not just prayer it may be a sign that the Lord wants to communicate something to you or to someone else through you. Pay attention to the thoughts you get at that time. Follow them and you might get an urge to say something out aloud. What you say might end up being the interpretation of the tongues you spoke earlier. I hope this helps.
