WITH THE SPIRIT, AND . . . THE UNDERSTANDING

This passage commences with the emphasis on instant communication or else all will suffer from confusion. We are in a battle, and prayer is one facet of this warfare. Communication between the divine Leader and His troops needs to be instantly clear if victory is to be assured.

As the passage unfolds, the continued emphasis is on clarity of communication, particularly so that the listener can enter into the content of the dialogue. Consequently, for the brother who exhibited the gift of tongues in prayer, he needed to be equally zealous for the gift of interpretation so that all could enjoy and enter into his exercise as he led the assembly.

Paul states clearly that praying in tongues means that not only are the listeners excommunicado, but so too is the person engaged in prayer. Thus, whilst an atmosphere of prayer may be exhibited and prayer may be taking place, there can be no sense of fellowship or concern because no one is aware of the matters in hand; be they prayer, praise, supplication or thanksgiving.

Hence the desire of the Spirit-inspired Paul that when the holy exercise of prayer takes place, not only will the spirit of the believer be engaged but so too the mind, which gives understanding. As great as the exercise of tongues must have been, there was implicit in its exercise a barrier to the understanding and therefore to the communication of the burden of the person so occupied. It could even be misconstrued, as was Hannah’s godly exercise in 1 Samuel chapter 1 verse 13.

Prayer, as intercourse between the believer and his God, is a precious occupation. If it is public prayer, then others are entitled to acknowledge its content, particularly unbelievers. They need to be able to hear, understand, and stand in awe at the use of this beautiful and unique channel of communication between the creature and his Creator so that they can join in with an ‘Amen’.

Are all able to give an ‘Amen’ to my prayers, or are they just so many meaningless words even if in a known tongue? Let us pray coherently and with purpose.