Does Your Mind Wander When You Pray in Tongues

Don’t worry, you’re not the first.

I received my prayer language from the Holy Spirit a year after I was saved. Like any new believer, I was worried I wasn’t a “real Christian” yet because the Scripture said that tongues is a sign of the Holy Spirit… and if the Holy Spirit does not live in you then you’re not a Christian.

If you’re like me, you probably went to the nearest church and asked them to pray for you. I did and sure enough, I walked out of there speaking in tongues. What was strange was that the Holy Spirit was already intercessing for me… in my sleep! There were times where I would suddenly wake up and find myself speaking what I thought was gibberish.

There were also times when I wanted to pray and my tongue would be so loose, I just thought I was running out of words! If you haven’t yet started praying in the Spirit, aka tongues, just ask God for it. It’s that simple. If it doesn’t happen immediately, don’t panic. Usually a series of events will just take place and He will lead you to someone who can help you.

In the beginning

The first night I prayed in tongues on my own was amazing. I said my little prayer and asked the Holy Spirit to take over because “I know not what I ought to pray for”. My lips started quivering and next thing I knew, I was praying in the Spirit.

The weird thing about it is that, because it’s the Holy Spirit praying, your mind can easily wander. I found myself thinking about my family, friends, ex-boyfriend and career. I began to imagine what He could be praying about. I also started wondering if I wasn’t just making it up.

The devil’s tricks

Praying in the Spirit is very powerful. So as usual, our age-old enemy will come around and try to disturb you from accessing the power of God. Don’t entertain his thoughts. He’s just doing what he knows best: lying.

So no, you’re not making it up. No, you don’t have to know what the Holy Spirit is saying. No, it’s not a fake language from the devil. When these thoughts come, bring them into captivity to the obedience of Christ. If you call out the Holy Spirit to pray for you, then the Holy Spirit will pray for you, nobody else.

The Reality

The Word of God says that we must pray with our minds and in Spirit. When I read this, it was such a relief. It implies that I have to consciously focus my mind on praying… which effectively means it’s not unusual for my mind to wander.

Because we revere the Holy Spirit of God, I suggest surrendering to Him and allowing Him to pray as long as He needs to. Try not to interrupt. Truth be told, it can range from 5 minutes to an hour or two. Holy Spirit will always give you an option to stop because He loves you but considering how important His prayer is, I suggest you don’t choose to stop.

Try to pray in the morning or a few hours before bed so you don’t get tired and frustrated when you pray.

Side effects to get used to

Long prayer obviously has physical effects like discomfort in the jaw and a dry mouth. I don’t know about you but I also have a funny sensation in my hands like they’re not mine. I can literally feel the person of the Holy Spirit in me so I feel like my body is not even mine… and you know what, it’s not. It belongs to God.

Get used to these side effects because with just little labor, the Holy Spirit can release God’s power, Grace, Love and blessings into your life.

Jesus: Shepherd, Lord, King:)