Speaking in tongues for edification is mentioned in 1st Corinthians 14:4. Apostle Paul compares the edification that comes from speaking in tongues to that which comes from prophecy.
Apostle Paul makes it clear that speaking in tongues edifies the individual that is speaking while prophecy edifies the whole church.
Further in the chapter, Apostle Paul records that speaking in tongues can edify the church if someone interprets it.
Putting all the church and interpretation matters aside, it is clear that speaking in tongues edifies. The edification happens by default to the person speaking in tongues and to the church if the tongues are interpreted.
I will not go into whether tongues must be interpreted or not; I have already written about it in a previous article.
In this article I want to dive in depth about edification that comes from speaking in tongues.
How Edification from Speaking in Tongues Works
Self-edification from speaking in tongues is a blessing from God. God designed prayer to help us commune with Him.
In Philippians 4, we are asked not be anxious about anything but in everything through prayer, supplication and thanksgiving, we are asked to make our requests known to God.
Prayer helps us make our requests to God. When God answers our requests, we grow and feel better. The growth and all other benefits that come with an answered prayer edify us.
Apostle Paul tells us that if we make our requests known to God, we shall experience peace that surpasses human understanding.
When we are edified, we experience peace.
Jesus had earlier on said there is trouble in the world but in Him there is peace. He also asked all those who labor and are heavily laden to go to Him while speaking at a different occasion.
From these scriptures, we learn that peace is in Jesus. If we want peace, we have to go to Jesus. And we know that the way to access Jesus is through prayer.
Since speaking in tongues is an advanced way of praying, it makes accessing God easier than praying in understanding.
With speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit makes requests to God on your behalf. The Holy Spirit knows the deep thoughts of God and what you lack.
As a result, He makes the right requests to God on your behalf in the right way. When those requests are answered, you are edified.
Because you commune with Jesus through speaking in tongues, you come out of a prayer session feeling great peace.
At the same time, the Holy Spirit is the one generating requests so your mind is at rest. Your mind is refreshed as it rests.
A scientific experiment done back in 2006 proved that the brain of someone speaking in tongues is idle just as Apostle Paul wrote. The scientists concluded that speaking in tongues has greater therapeutic value than meditation.
Edification as a result of speaking in tongues is a combination of all the good things you receive when the Holy Spirit makes requests to God on your behalf.
How to Maximize Edification through Speaking in Tongues
1. Speak in Tongues for Hours
Speaking in tongues is endless. The Holy Spirit never gets tired of praying to God on our behalf. We only pause speaking in tongues to do other activities.
I have learned over the years that the more time you spend speaking in tongues, the greater the benefits you get.
If you want higher levels of edification, speak in tongues for longer. I wrote these tips to help you pray in tongues for hours.
2. Speak in Tongues in a Congregation
Sometimes getting a breakthrough when you are speaking in tongues is hard. As a result, you struggle to get edified.
But when you speak in tongues among other believers who are also speaking in tongues, it is easier to get a breakthrough.
Praying in tongues in a fellowship also helps you pray for longer. If you feel like giving up, there are other believers to motivate you to keep going.
3. Ask for Interpretation
Speaking in tongues is more edifying when you get the interpretation of what you are praying for. I have realized that I am more motivated to speak in tongues when I understand what I am praying for.
When I was starting out in the gift of speaking in tongues, I easily lost motivation; I didn’t understand what I was speaking.
Interpretation of tongues grows gradually. The more you grow, the more accurate your interpretations become.
In the early days of interpreting tongues, I could only tell the overall theme of the prayer. If I was speaking in tongues, I could tell if I was worshipping God, waging war or conversing with God and nothing more.
But as I grew, I started understanding bits of what I was saying. It then grew to a level where I could tell what individual syllables mean.
The interesting thing is that once you learn to interpret tongues, you can also convert your thoughts into tongues.
While usually it is the Holy Spirit who prays in you through tongues, you get to a level where you can formulate tongues by yourself. The Holy Spirit becomes a guide on what you are to say rather than Him speaking for you.
It feels good!
Speaking in Tongues for Edification Conclusion
Apostle Paul encouraged believers to speak in tongues. The edification that you get from speaking in tongues is beyond what words can describe. The Bible calls it ‘peace that surpasses human understanding’.
Speaking in tongues is a gift that God gave us through the Holy Spirit to make our prayer life fruitful. Be wise to use the gift and get the best out of it.
Getting edified through speaking in tongues is a personal responsibility. There is controversy around the gift of speaking in tongues and some people despise it.
But those who embrace it get the reward they deserve. If you speak in tongues, you will be edified regardless of what others think of the gift.
It will involve making serious resolutions but the reward you get out of it will be worth it.
God bless you!