I speak in tongues and I must admit that speaking in tongues is weird. Many people who avoid speaking in tongues do so because of the weird nature of the gift.
Why must the gift of the Holy Spirit be weird?
As you will find out, there is a good reason why speaking in tongues is weird. But before we get into that, let us know what makes speaking in tongues weird.
What Makes Speaking in Tongues Weird?
1. Having no Control
The first thing that makes speaking in tongues weird is the fact that you have to give up control of your tongue in order to speak in tongues.
Speaking in tongues is when the Holy Spirit speaks through you. Naturally, we are used to thinking then talking. But when you speak in tongues, there is no thinking, you only talk.
At first, it is weird to be speaking without thinking. Your mind goes blank a number of times in the process and remains puzzled for the entire time.
After speaking in tongues for the first time, it is common for people to question themselves. I did it too my first time.
The weirdness doesn’t wear off quickly. But if you keep speaking in tongues, you will get comfortable with the weirdness and it won’t be weird anymore.
2. Not Understanding your Words
It is unnatural for us to fail to understand what we are saying. When we speak in tongues, we utter syllables that we don’t understand.
As a result, we feel weird about what we are doing.
The weirdness is made worse when our idle mind tries to make sense of what is going on. Our mind does not know how to do nothing and so when there is nothing to do, it will go blank while trying to regain control.
This is why staying focused when speaking in tongues is one of the hardest challenges. I wrote an article that gives tips to stay focused when speaking in tongues.
When you persist through the weirdness of not understanding the words you are speaking when you are praying in tongues, you will get to a level where you understand what you are praying for and the awkwardness will end.
Apostle Paul urged all those who speak in tongues to seek to know the interpretation of what they are speaking. When you get the gift of interpreting tongues, speaking in tongues stops being weird.
3. Appearing Foolish before People
Apart from the internal struggles of not having control and not understanding what you are saying, you also have to deal with questions and weird stares that people give you.
The stares from people when you speak in tongues alone make things so awkward. Internal awkwardness makes the situation almost unbearable.
Speaking in tongues in public takes guts. Respect those people who speak in tongues in public.
On the day of Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus who were in the upper room were accused of being drunk yet it was still morning. Peter had to explain to people that they were not drunk. But you can guess that not everyone bought Peter’s explanation.
It is awkward when you speak in tongues and you have to explain what you are doing. No matter how best you try to explain, the awkwardness only gets worse.
Why Speaking in Tongues is Weird
God designed the gift of speaking in tongues to be weird. Other gifts of the Holy Spirit have their own weirdness but none seems to be as pronounced as that of speaking in tongues.
People who have the gift of knowledge appear delusional to average people. Remember Apostle Paul was called a blabber because he was talking about the death and resurrection of Jesus.
To the stoic philosophers, the gift of knowledge that Apostle Paul had was like fairy tales to them.
God made speaking in tongues to be weird for a number of reasons:
1. Speaking in tongues is weird to Test our Humility
God knows that human beings want good things without paying the price. As a result, each of the gifts He gave us through the Holy Spirit has its own test.
Speaking in tongues is weird to test our humility. Those who can’t humble themselves to the required level can’t speak in tongues.
Unless you are ready to be called names and accused of all manner of things, speaking in tongues will remain a pipe dream.
Humility is also portrayed when you give control of your tongue to the Holy Spirit when you have the option to keep it.
Only people who humble themselves get to enjoy the gift of speaking in tongues.
2. Speaking in Tongues is weird to test our faith
The amount of weirdness you have to put up with when speaking in tongues will test your faith in the gift to the limit. If you don’t have sufficient faith, you will surely give up speaking in tongues.
I know people who gave up speaking in tongues because it was too dramatic. They didn’t want to put up with all the drama that comes with speaking in tongues.
One of the people who received the gift of speaking in tongues the same day I received the gift gave up practicing it. It was too uncomfortable for him.
The truth is that God has set an entry barrier to speaking in tongues. If your faith cannot take you over the barrier, you can’t speak in tongues beyond the first day.
3. Speaking in Tongues is Weird to Reflect the Wisdom of God
It is the nature of God to use foolish things to put the wise things of this world to shame. Speaking in tongues is packed with power but God has made it appear gibberish to the world.
It is the same case with salvation; when Jesus the savior showed up, He came in the most unexpected ways. In the eyes of the world, there was no way the son of a carpenter could save men from their sin but He did.
Speaking in tongues is such a powerful gift but God in His wisdom has disguised it in foolishness so that only those who humble themselves get to enjoy it.
During the times of Jesus, people who were miserable benefited more than those who thought highly of themselves.
Speaking in Tongues is Weird: Conclusion
Speaking in tongues being weird is intentional; God designed it that way. As a believer, seek to grow in humility and faith and enjoy the gift of speaking in tongues.
As you persist in speaking in tongues, the weirdness dies down or I should say the weirdness stops being weird to you. Others will still find it weird but you have to understand that the world can never understand the workings of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t be among those who turn away from speaking in tongues in fear. Be bold and speak in tongues.
You can start your boldness journey by getting yourself one of the speaking in tongues t-shirts I have designed.
We have not received the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. Let’s stand firm in our faith.
We shall never turn back!