How Long Can You Pray In Your Understanding?

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How long can you pray in your understanding?  My husband and I travel and teach on the subject of prayer.  We are always sharing on the subject of speaking in tongues.  Because we teach on prayer, we are constantly speaking in tongues both publicly and privately.  However, the strength and effectualness of the saint speaking in other tongues is not dependent upon “how long” one speaks, or “how loud” ones speaks.  The strength and effectualness of any manner of prayer is the backbone of our Word level.  The TEST of our Word level is our ability to pray in our understanding.  If our Word level is strong, then our ability to pray in our understanding will manifest with inspiration, even culminating in the simple yet powerful gift of prophecy.  If we are praying what “we know to pray as we ought”, THEN, when we speak in tongues the Holy Spirit is released to really plumb the mysteries “that which we know not”.  How long can you pray in your understanding?

Before I ever went to bible school, I remember I was sitting in my room in St. Louis just praying away.  I had a worship tape in my boombox, (no comments from those under the age of 49 please).  I was rattling along in tongues and suddenly the Spirit of God rose up on the inside of me and said, “Turn that music off and pray in your understanding.”  Wow, I was a bit taken back.  I turned the tape off and just sat there.  Wow again.  Now what do I do?  What should I say? Well, I guess I had better do what He said.  How embarrassed and awkward I felt.  Thank God I didn’t go by feelings.  So, I just started out.  At that time I really, really, wanted to get married.  So I just started out on that.  I just mumbled awkward statements asking the Father God for a husband.  As I was making my request known to Him in just my understanding, I did not realize it, but this was a step of faith.  It was a step of faith that I could pray in my understanding.  It was a step of faith that I did have the mind of Christ.  It was a step of faith that “I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding”.   Oh that we would actually exercise our faith when we pray.

Without realizing it, I was exercising faith.  I was not praying out of duty or familiarity.  I was not using “speaking in tongues” as a cloak for my flesh or an excuse for spiritual laziness.  Though my words were awkward at first, though I felt vulnerable and silly, all of the sudden, from on the inside, a stream of inspiration came up.  I had given what little I had in faith, and the Greater One seized upon it, and multiplied it.  Wonderful thoughts and words that were not my own flooded me.  As I described out loud, with my mouth, these thoughts, words, and ideas – the flow became stronger.  I became emboldened and joyous.  The atmosphere of the room changed.  I changed.

I began to speak that my husband and I would be like a great river.  I joyously proclaimed that wherever we would go there would be life.  I prophesied that people would be washed from their sins and the thirsty would find drink.  We would flow together to win the lost and minister to the saints.  Boy oh boy, I know the Lord better than I thought!!!!

My request had become an answer.  My petition had converted into a prophecy and praise.  What a wonderful time of prayer it was.  My prayer time was not dependent on a worship tape anymore.  I had become the worshipper.  I was learning to worship in the Spirit and with a Truth.

How do I know it was, “a Truth,” that I was speaking?  Well, years later, when I was standing in line at bible school, I happened to tell another student what had happened to me that day.  They replied back to me, “Hey, that’s a Scripture passage and its in Ezekiel.”  That day I went home after class and looked it up.  Ezekiel chapter 47 speaks of a river that flows out from the throne of God.  The attributes of this river are as follows.  An angel speaking with Ezekiel said, “8 Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. 9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. 10 It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.”  The chapter goes onto say, “12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail.  They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary.  Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

Wow!!!! What I prayed out that day was in the Bible!!  John 15:7 tells us, “ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”  When the Word of God is abiding in us, when our Word level is high, we can take a step of faith and just start praying in our understanding.  The same One that inspired the Word, and the same One Who IS THE WORD, will rise up in response to that act of faith, AND PRAY THROUGH US IN OUR UNDERSTANDING!!!  When we truly act on the fact that, “we have an anointing of the Holy One and we know all things”, when we step out on the truth that “WE ARE HIS SHEEP AND WE KNOW HIS VOICE AND WE FOLLOW HIM”, the Great and Mighty Holy Spirit will arise through us and speak in simply edification and comfort.  You know Him dear ones, you know Him better than you think!

I married a wonderful man.  I have had that same simple prophecy about a river confirmed.  All those years ago those words came forth and they are still being confirmed today.  I challenge you dear one.  I challenge myself too.  Lets get our Word level even higher.  Lets step out more and more and pray in our understanding.  Its fine even if sometimes your whole prayer time is in your understanding.   Let the Holy Spirit prophesy through you as long as He wants.  Take small inklings and thoughts as you are praying and pray around those in your understanding.  Watch the Word of Wisdom and the Word of Knowledge begin to flow through you.  Experience the emotions of God – His joys, His compassions, His peace, His boldness, His revelations, and His strength.  As you exercise in this way, praying as far as you know to pray, THEN, when you go to speak in tongues – wooooohoooooo.  He Who is commissioned to take hold together with you when you “KNOW NOT WHAT TO PRAY FOR AS YOU OUGHT”; He will give you such wondrous utterance it will feel like you are water skiing and holding on for dear life!!!  When you speak in tongues, AFTER praying as far as you can in your understanding, YOU WILL REALLY SPEAK!  Gone are the days of a boring, dead, and ineffectual prayer life.  Oh the joys, the vigor, and the amazing EXPERIENCES you will have.  Yeah I said it, “experiences.”  No, we are not to SEEK experiences.  However, when you have your Word level high and you stretch your spiritual muscles FIRST by praying in your understanding and prophecy – you WILL EXPERIENCE the Lord as never before.

Have fun dear ones!!!!  Your answers are as near as your heart and your mouth!!!  Step out, pray in your understanding, I DARE YOU!!!