THE BENEFITS OF TONGUES
 
As a young disciple, I can remember poring over 1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13, and 14, and coming to verse 14:18 where the apostle Paul wrote, “I thank my God I speak in tongues more than you all”. 
 
As I read it, I could somehow hear the deep gratitude of his heart, thanking God for the ability to speak in tongues. He would not have said this unless he had experienced some benefit in his spiritual life. This caused him to do it more than anybody, including the Corinthians, who did it a lot, but for all the wrong reasons. I remember thinking, “What does Paul see in tongues that I don’t, which makes him feel so grateful? What did he experience that motivated him to use more than the Corinthians?” 
 
This provoked me to begin to pray, “Lord, whatever You did in Paul that caused him to be so grateful, do in me. Whatever You taught him, teach me.”
 
That prayer changed my life. 
 
I began to pray in tongues in a more disciplined way, doing it as part of my devotional time. Now today, after almost 45 years of doing this, I can look back and say along with Paul that I thank God for all that this gift has brought to my life. Few things have enriched my spiritual life as much as being able to pray with tongues. I am truly grateful for this experience and wish everybody could experience it for themselves. All I can tell you is that it has become infinitely more important than most people realize.