ten top tongue twisting tips

Ten Top Tongue Twisting Tips.

Having been urged to both pray, and pray for others to speak in tongues recently, I thought I’d tell my own tongue twisting tale.

I first witnessed it when, in church as a ten year old, someone stood up in open prayer but just didn’t make any sense. This was followed by an appeal for interpretation which, after a few anxious moments, finally arrived. I can’t remember what the interpretation was but do remember wonderingwhy they didn’t just pray in English to begin with. Many years later I found myself going forward to receive said gift at one of those massed religious seaside rallies, but when I finally got to the front of the queue I was told that from God’s perspective it probably wasn’t the right time or the right place for me to receive that gift. So, knowing that I had not only wasted God’s time, my own and, worse, the whole line of other hopefuls, I dismissed the whole thing as elitist Christian self-gratification and joined the tea queue instead (which, by the way flowed copiously and in equal measure to all who thirsted). Anyway, a few years later I tried again to ‘get the gift’ out of sheer boredom during one of my own private prayer times and now I quietly speak in tongues whenever I like. Although of course, because I didn’t acquire it through an authorised dealer, I don’t know if I really am, or if it just sounds and feels like I am – but who cares?

Anyway if you don’t officially speak in tongues yourself but would like to have a go; here’s my own home made, unauthorised ten point plan to cut out, take home and try:

Go for a walk, or be where you find praying out loud easy, and then just pray your regular stuff including a little request for the gift.

Hold up some areas of your life as offerings to God for Him to use and speak through.
Now do the same with your body parts including your heart, mind, eyes, hands, ears, mouth, tongue and lips.
I then admit to God that some areas in my life hold little meaning or sense and can be likened to gibberish. I then pray for The Holy Ghost to transform those areas, bringing life, meaning, fulfilment, and glory to Him.
Then I say “God, for the next ten minutes I’m just going to speak gibberish as a metaphor for those areas of my life which don’t make sense, and I’d like your Holy Spirit to step in and turn that noise into the sound of Your glorification”.
So then I start making whatever stupid noise I fancy, like a voice coach might use as a relaxation/warm up technique. If you feel and sound like an idiot you’ll know you are on the right track.
Then try this: Imitate the sound of a foreign language that you cannot speak. This is great fun, especially German of course, but any language will do, in fact try a few until you find a dialect that just feels easier than all the others. For me it ended up being Russian and something Arabic which then kind of fused.
Throughout this process don’t try to ‘say’ or ‘pray’ anything consciously as I reckon it’s up to The Holy Spirit to take care of that aspect – I’m just providing the expellation of air.
Finally I let my heart’s emotion become involved. So if I’m feeling sad I’ll allow that emotion into my delivery and if I’m feeling victorious or devastated I’ll allow that too – whatever. Often I’ll keep popping back into the Queen’s English for a couple of words (‘Jesus’, ‘Father’ or part of The Lord’s Prayer usually).
Rinse and repeat for fluency.

Do let me know what happens.

Ben Hodgson

Ben Hodgson 23 July 2007