Student Study Guide
Chapter 14
The Prayer Language
Section 1 — The Prayer Language
Section One
Two nights after his salvation in May 1986, Steve returned to find the church where he had gotten saved, driving for hours with only a partial memory of its name. That night he heard preacher Donnie Moore speak on forgiveness. At the altar, Steve prayed, "Gerry, what you did to me was wrong, but I forgive you," releasing years of bitterness toward his stepmother. Worshiping afterward, he saw a vision of all his dreams of wealth and business success, then heard inwardly, unmistakably clear: "I have called you to preach My gospel." He said yes, and watched every plan fade away.
Moments later, while simply repeating "Jesus, thank you, I love you," waves of power began cascading through his body. He tried to resist the unfamiliar sounds bursting from his mouth, but the more he yielded, the more power he experienced. Steve was being baptized in the Holy Spirit and receiving the gift of tongues - with no prior expectation, no one having explained it to him first.
Outside of being born again, there is no greater gift, weapon, tool, and bringer of revelation Steve has ever received from God than this precious prayer language.
Chapter 13 showed you that the sword of the Spirit is taken up BY MEANS OF prayer in the Spirit. This chapter reveals the specific gift most closely tied to that command - the prayer language the rest of this chapter will unpack in depth.
Think It Through
Steve's forgiveness of his stepmother released something in him before he ever received the Holy Spirit's baptism. Is there unforgiveness in your own life that may be blocking something God wants to give you?
Your Thoughts
Steve prayed at the altar, "Gerry, what you did to me was wrong, but I you."
Steve heard inwardly, "I have called you to My gospel."
Steve was simply repeating, "Jesus, thank you, I you," when the waves of power began.
Section 2 — The Law of First Mention: What Happened at Pentecost
Section Two
Remember From Section 1
Steve had no prior of what would happen when he began speaking in tongues.
The law of first mention says the first appearance of a truth in Scripture establishes the pattern for interpreting it. At Pentecost, tongues of fire rested on each believer, and they began to speak the wonderful works of God - a prophetic prayer and worship anointing before anything else occurred. The same fire that once came down at Sinai now rested personally on ordinary people.
The text never says the 120 spoke in known languages - it says devout Jews from every nation "heard them speak in his own language" (Acts 2:6), a supernatural act of interpretation on the receiving end. Others, likely not devout, heard only babbling and mocked, "They are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13). Two groups, same sound: supernatural hearing for those with ears prepared to receive.
Recall Check
Fill in these from what you just read above, using your own memory.
The tongues of fire were a sign pointing back to Mount .
The text says devout men heard them speak in his own .
Others mocking said, "They are full of new ." (Acts 2:13)
Reflection
Two groups heard the exact same sound completely differently - one heard languages, one heard babbling. What does this suggest about spiritual perception in general?
Your Thoughts
Section 3 — Paul Prayed in Tongues More Than All
Section Three
Remember From Section 2
At Sinai, God wrote His word on stone; at Pentecost He began writing it on .
Paul said he spoke in tongues more than the entire Corinthian church combined - yet in church he would rather speak five understood words than ten thousand in a tongue. This was not a rule against tongues in church; it addressed the Corinthians' disorderly practice of standing to speak in tongues publicly with no interpretation, drawing attention to themselves with nothing understandable to say.
Paul never forbids tongues in church: "Do not forbid to speak with tongues" (1 Cor. 14:39). Instead, without interpretation, he says, "let him speak to himself and to God" (1 Cor. 14:28). Tongues is not a lesser gift to be suppressed - it is first and foremost prayer, reaching beyond natural understanding into what the Spirit is saying to the Father on our behalf.
Recall Check
Fill in these from what you just read above, using your own memory.
Paul said he would rather speak five words with his understanding than ten thousand words in a .
Paul said, "Do not to speak with tongues." (1 Cor. 14:39)
Without interpretation, Paul said, "let him speak to himself and to ." (1 Cor. 14:28)
Reflection
Many have concluded tongues in church is simply wrong. Does knowing the actual context of 1 Corinthians 14 change how you understand Paul's instructions?
My Thoughts
Section 4 — A River That Never Stops
Section Four
Remember From Section 3
Paul said he spoke in tongues more than the entire Corinthian combined.
Paul said he would pray and sing both with the spirit and with the understanding - not one or the other, but both, flowing together. Since 1986, Steve has prayed in tongues constantly, even in his sleep, and has found that when he prays in tongues while seeking understanding, insight begins to flow - the channel closed to natural reasoning opens to Spirit-empowered revelation.
Over the decades, Steve has developed four distinctly different prayer languages: his regular one flowing throughout the day, a second for deep intercession for another person, a third accompanying intense spiritual warfare, and a rare fourth that manifests only during the most intensive intercession for nations or regions. The prayer language is alive - it deepens and differentiates over time as the Holy Spirit tailors it to the territory being engaged.
Recall Check
Fill in these from what you just read above, using your own memory.
When Steve prays in tongues while seeking understanding, the channel closed to natural reasoning opens to Spirit-empowered .
Steve has developed distinctly different prayer languages over the decades.
His rarest prayer language manifests only during the most intensive intercession for nations or .
Reflection
Steve says the prayer language "deepens over decades of use" and "differentiates." Have you noticed any change or growth in your own prayer life over time?
Your Thoughts
Section 5 — The Nations Belong to the Son
Section Five
Remember From Section 4
Paul said he would pray and sing both with the spirit and with the .
"God has ordained this speaking in an unknown tongue unto Himself as a wonderful, supernatural means of communication in the Spirit... Many times as we speak unto God in an unknown tongue we are in intercession and as we pray thus in the Spirit we pray according to the will of God." — Smith Wigglesworth, Ever Increasing Faith
The nations belonging to the Son was the Father's settled will before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), a mystery hidden in God until revealed through the Church (Eph. 3:9-11), seen by Daniel as "dominion and glory and a kingdom" given to Him (Dan. 7:14). Psalm 2 shows the pattern: the Father invites the Son to ask for what is already His by eternal right.
When tongues were first released at Pentecost, believers were speaking the mysteries of God - declaring back to Him in accordance with His eternal purpose. When we pray in tongues, we engage that same eternal process: the Father reveals, we ask, and the Spirit manifests it.
Recall Check
Fill in these from what you just read above, using your own memory.
Ephesians 1:4 says He chose us in Him before the foundation of the .
Daniel saw "dominion and glory and a kingdom" given so that all peoples, nations, and languages should Him. (Dan. 7:14)
Psalm 2:8 says, "Ask of Me, and I will give You the for Your inheritance."
Reflection
The chapter says the nations were always the Son's by eternal right, but "the receiving requires asking." What does this teach you about the relationship between God's sovereign will and our prayers?
My Thoughts
Section 6 — Praying in Tongues Is Praying in the Spirit
Section Six
Remember From Section 5
The nations belonging to the Son was the Father's settled will before the foundation of the .
The armor of God passage reaches its climax in prayer: "Take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17-18). Praying in the Spirit, often through tongues, enables us to wield the sword of God's word with precision, interceding according to the Father's perfect will rather than our limited natural understanding - the supernatural means by which we "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17).
Tongues is first a prayer language, secondarily a prophetic worship language, and can also be a direct message to a gathered body through interpretation. Every dimension ties back to intercession, because everything God reveals, He wants prayed back to Himself. That stammering in Stockton, California in 1986 - that river that has not stopped flowing since - is the Holy Spirit praying the Father's purposes through a yielded vessel. He wants to do the same through you.
"Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations." Keep this pattern in mind - the Father reveals, the Son (and now the abiding believer) asks, and the Spirit manifests it. This same pattern of asking for the nations will surface again as this book moves toward its final chapters on the end-time harvest.
Reflection
"He wants to do the same through you." If you have not received this gift, what questions or hesitations come to mind? If you have, how consistently do you actually use it?
My Response
This Chapter in My Own Words
| What the Chapter Showed | In My Own Life |
|---|---|
| Steve received tongues with no expectation, simply worshiping God | |
| At Pentecost, two groups heard the same sound differently | |
| Tongues is first and foremost prayer, not performance | |
| Praying in tongues opens understanding when we are seeking answers | |
| The prayer language deepens and differentiates over decades | |
| Praying in tongues asks the Father for what is already the Son's by eternal right |
One More Table
| What It Looked Like | What Was Actually True |
|---|---|
| Tongues is a strange, optional, or lesser gift best avoided | Tongues is a daily, Spirit-energized weapon of prayer that keeps the abiding believer in constant alignment with the Father's will. |
| What would it look like this week to pray in the Spirit throughout ordinary moments - driving, working, listening - the way Steve describes? |
Personal Prayer Journal
Write a short prayer asking the Father to deepen your prayer language and align your prayers with His eternal purposes for the nations.
Chapter 14 — Practice Test
Auto-graded upon completion
Complete all sections, then click "Submit & Grade" to receive your score with instant feedback on every question.
Part A: Multiple Choice (5 questions · 2 pts each)
1. What happened when Steve first tried to resist the tongues that were bursting from his mouth?
2. According to the chapter, who actually heard the disciples speaking in known languages at Pentecost?
3. According to 1 Corinthians 14:2, when someone speaks in a tongue without interpretation, who are they speaking to?
4. What does Paul say in 1 Corinthians 14:18-19 about his own tongues practice?
5. According to Psalm 2:7-8, what does the Father invite the Son to do regarding the nations?
Part B: True or False (6 statements · 1 pt each)
1. Steve immediately understood what the gift of tongues was and expected it before it happened.
2. At Pentecost, the text says every single person who heard the disciples clearly understood their words.
3. Paul says he would rather speak five words with understanding in church than ten thousand words in a tongue.
4. Praying in tongues bypasses our natural understanding, with the Spirit interceding according to God's will.
5. Steve says he has only ever experienced one single, unchanging prayer language throughout his life.
6. The chapter teaches that the nations belonging to the Son began only the moment someone first prayed Psalm 2:8.
Part C: Fill in the Blank (5 items · 1 pt each)
1. Steve was baptized in the Holy Spirit while repeating, "Jesus, thank you, I you."
2. The tongues of fire at Pentecost were a sign pointing back to Mount .
3. Paul said, "Let him speak to himself and to ." (1 Cor. 14:28)
4. Romans 8:26 says the Spirit Himself makes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
5. Psalm 2:8 says, "Ask of Me, and I will give You the for Your inheritance."
Part D: Short Answer (completion credit)
1. Explain what happened on May 4, 1986, and why Steve calls it more significant than almost anything else he's received besides salvation.
2. Explain the "two groups, same sound" phenomenon at Pentecost, and what it reveals about supernatural hearing versus speaking.
3. Explain how Psalm 2:7-8 connects to the purpose of praying in tongues, according to the chapter.
Part E — Before You Leave
Have you received or do you currently practice praying in tongues? If not, what questions or hesitations do you have?
What would it look like this week to pray in the Spirit throughout ordinary moments, the way Steve describes?
Write a short prayer asking the Father to deepen your prayer language and align your prayers with His purposes for the nations.