Can speaking in tongues be written? Yes! Speaking in tongues just like any other language can be written. I have seen people write tongues and I have interpreted some of them.
In this article, I will share what I have observed and learned about writing in tongues.
Written Tongues in the Bible
Before we go any further with this discussion, it is good to start from the word of God. The Bible is our standard.
Believe it or not, the Bible contains written tongues. In the book of Daniel chapter 5, a hand appeared during the feast that King Belshazzar had organized and wrote on the wall.
The meaning of the words written was unknown and it required Daniel to interpret them. Daniel managed to interpret them because He had the Spirit of God.
It is clear that the writing was from God because the message of the writing came to pass and even the voice of the writing was that of God.
In simple terms, the writing on the wall was an example of written tongues.
God wrote those tongues instead of speaking them because at that time the gift of speaking in tongues had not been revealed yet.
By writing in tongues, He got the attention of King Belshazzar. God knew that such a wicked King would not listen to a prophet if one was sent. King Belshazzar may have even killed the prophet.
God in His wisdom devised a way to pass the message to the wicked king without putting the life of Daniel at risk.
The inscription on the wall was MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN which meant that the kingdom of Babylon had been weighed and found wanting and had been given over to the Persians and Medes.
That very night, the kingdom of Babylon was overthrown.
How Written Tongues Look Like
Written tongues come in different shapes and sizes. From the example in the Bible, the tongues were like a human language that anyone could read but understanding them was the challenge.
The syllables spoken during speaking in tongues can be written. When they are written, of course they will appear like a normal language only that no one will understand them.
But there is another form of writing in tongues that is strange. I have seen tongues written that looked no better than the doodling of a kindergarten kid. Those tongues were literally a continuous wavy line.
If you don’t have the gift of interpreting tongues or you don’t believe in tongues being written, those tongues would appear as nothing more than doodling.
But to someone with a spiritual eye, they have a clear meaning.
I have also seen written tongues that were like drawings. It was actually drawings that had a spiritual meaning.
Because of the varied nature of written tongues, I believe there are no rules to how written tongues should look like.
The most important thing is that those tongues be interpreted. I got interpretation to some written tongues that I would never imagine.
Just by looking at them, the Spirit of God gave me their interpretation.
Who can write in Tongues?
Anybody who has the gift of speaking in tongues can write in tongues. You can write the syllables that you would naturally speak and they will be written tongues.
However, for the other forms of written tongues, it takes more faith to write them. Those strange forms of written tongues are hard to write and I rarely see them.
They are usually messages from God and of course if God has not sent a message there will be nothing to write.
When it comes to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, anyone who is filled with the Spirit of God can operate in them. The challenge is usually faith.
If you believe that speaking in tongues can be written and you believe that you can write tongues, the Spirit of God will empower you to write them.
I got the gift of interpreting tongues simply by believing I could interpret tongues and the Spirit of God began giving me interpretations.
Many people struggle to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit because they doubt a lot. Oh! What if I am speaking in tongues of demons, oh! What if I am doodling things without meaning, oh! What if these are just my thoughts and not the interpretation of the Holy Spirit etc.
When you believe the Spirit of God is in you and whatever you do is guided by Him, you will be able to write in tongues.
Purpose of Writing in Tongues
If tongues can be spoken and interpreted, why do they need to be written? Well, tongues are written for the same reasons that we write normal languages.
One of the key reasons for writing is for future reference. The writing on the wall lived on because it was written. Tongues that are written outlast those that are spoken.
Writing of tongues also makes it convenient to get interpretation. If tongues are written, they can be kept safely until the day an interpreter will be found and they can be interpreted.
And like in the case of Daniel, written tongues are safe in passing strong messages. Someone can write tongues anonymously and send them for interpretation. When the interpretation is given and the message is harsh, people won’t know who to blame.
I have interpreted written tongues that I didn’t know who wrote. Written tongues also reduce the temptation of the interpreter to be biased in the interpretation.
Testimony of Written Tongues
An incident happened in the church I used to attend that baffled us. One of the church members went to a high school to preach. During the service, a certain girl wrote tongues on a piece of paper and gave to the church member.
Since there was no one to interpret the tongues, he carried those tongues hoping to get an interpretation once he got back to church.
On his way back home, he encountered a gang of robbers. It was around 10pm at night. Not knowing what to do, he surrendered to them.
Some opened his bag to take valuables that he was carrying while others were checking his pockets for money. Then one of them pulled out the paper that had the written tongues.
He looked shocked and stopped the others from robbing the church member. The robber asked the church member if he was Arabic. He said no.
The robber then asked if the church member knew Arabic to which he also said no. In shock, the robber fell on his knees and begged the church member to forgive him.
Surprised, the church member asked about the message on the piece of paper. That is when the robber told him that it is a message from God in Arabic.
The robber and his gang surrendered their lives to Jesus.
I marveled when I heard this testimony.
Written Speaking in Tongues: Conclusion
Speaking in tongues can be written. Though writing of tongues is not as popular as speaking in tongues, it is part of the gift of tongues from the Holy Spirit.
As it is with matters of the kingdom of God, you only get to enjoy what you believe. If you would like to experience writing in tongues, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.
Peace!
In 1980 I had a supernatural encounter with the Holy Spirit. It was a type of Damascus Road experience ending up with me writing in tongues. I ended up filling several legal pads of this writing. I was then told by my pastor to pray for the interpretation. I did and I still have one legal pad with the interpretations — from back then that I kept. I shared a couple pictures of those writings in a book I wrote called, “A Glimpse Behind Heaven’s Veil” by Ron Bailey.
Hallelujah! That’s amazing!
I have been writing for years now and I feel like in the future someone will interpret them.
I have been considering the relationship between abstract painting and writing in tongues. I know that Rev. Seymour rejected it at the Azuza st. revival because he didn’t find it in scripture. But when I looked at the sample they have, I thought I see a window and birds. I have also read my own abstracts.
The concerning thing about it is that about the time it was rejected the first pure abstract was made and later (With out getting into all the history) in the late 40’s the American artists were developing the first american art, Abstract Expressionism, which became a window for all kinds of things.
Interesting! Keep pursuing that path, the Lord has definitely started a fire in you in that area of abstract painting and writing in tongues. Blessings!