Holy Spirit, Come: Why Praying in Tongues Transforms Your Life

Introduction

When a church commits to 24 hours of nonstop prayer, the first question is not "who will make it through the night?" but "who will lead us?" Right from the opening of these 24 Hours of Prayer, Pastor Kevin Ango lays down a truth too often forgotten: without the Holy Spirit, a prayer vigil remains a human appointment. With him, it becomes an encounter.

This message starts from a simple song, "Spirit of God, come," to bring you back to a biblical conviction: the Spirit is the initiator, the one through whom every work of God begins. Then it invites you to a concrete step: learning or relearning to pray in tongues, a spiritual language that the Bible presents as a direct dialogue with God.

Whether you are preparing a night of prayer, going through a dry season, or simply seeking to better understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit, this teaching will help you put the Spirit back at the beginning of everything you do.

Outline of the teaching

1. The Holy Spirit, initiator of every work of God

The pastor opens the evening with this statement: "The Holy Spirit is the initiator. The Holy Spirit is at the beginning of everything." This is not a slogan: it is a consistent reading of Scripture.

In Acts 2:1-4, the Church is born on the day of Pentecost, when the sound of a mighty rushing wind fills the whole house, tongues of fire rest on each of the disciples, and they are all filled with the Holy Spirit. Before the converted crowds, before the 3,000 baptisms, before Peter's first sermon: there is the Spirit descending.

The lesson for you is simple: "For every season, for every moment, for every activity, the Holy Spirit is the starting point." A prayer, a project, a decision, a ministry: begin them by inviting the Spirit. This is not a pious formula, it is a marching order.

2. "Come" does not mean "you are not here"

When the congregation sings "Spirit of God, come," the pastor takes time to clarify: "When we say 'come,' that does not mean you are not already here." The Holy Spirit already dwells in the born-again believer, as 1 Corinthians 3:16 says: "You are God's temple, and God's Spirit dwells in you."

Saying "come" is therefore not a call to someone absent. It is a posture of the heart: I recognize you, I make room for you, I open myself to your particular manifestation for this moment. This understanding is freeing: you do not have to convince the Spirit to come down. You have to welcome him.

3. Three dimensions of the person: spirit, soul, body

To understand why praying in tongues makes sense, the pastor relies on 1 Thessalonians 5:23: God wants to sanctify "your whole being, spirit, soul, and body."

• The body connects you to the physical world.
• The soul connects you to the world of emotions, thoughts, and will.
• The spirit connects you to the spiritual world.

God, who is spirit, speaks first to your spirit. This is what Romans 5:5 reminds us: "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." But for what he tells you to become action, your understanding (the part of the soul that comprehends) must also grasp the message. Hence two complementary languages: a human language, thought out and calculated; and a spiritual language, initiated by the Spirit.

4. Praying in tongues: speaking to God, not to people

The heart of the teaching rests on 1 Corinthians 14:2: "The one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God."

The pastor distinguishes two types of tongues, as 1 Corinthians 13:1 does:

• The tongues of men: French, Creole, English: languages we understand and use to speak to one another.
• "Unknown" tongues, or the tongues of angels: those the Spirit gives you to speak directly to God.

When you pray in tongues, your understanding is "unfruitful," meaning it does not manufacture the words. This is not a flaw, it is the principle: it is your spirit that prays, moved by the Holy Spirit, without going through the filter of reasoning. You bypass your own limits of vocabulary, logic, and fatigue.

5. When you no longer know what to say, the Spirit intercedes

There are seasons when you run out of words. Romans 8:26 speaks of this: "The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

Praying in tongues is therefore not a privilege for "advanced" believers. It is help given to anyone who recognizes their weakness. The pastor invites the congregation: "If you already pray in tongues, pray in tongues. If not, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the gift of speaking in tongues." The initiative always remains God's, but it waits for your yes.

6. The Holy Spirit leads these 24 hours: and your week

The pastor restates the calling of the night: "The Holy Spirit, he is the one who will lead us through these 24 hours." This is not only true of a prayer vigil. It is true of every day you begin.

1 Corinthians 2:10 reminds us: "The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God." He knows what you do not know. He sees what you do not see. Letting him lead means ceasing to pilot everything with your own understanding, in order to walk at the pace of another.

Key takeaways

1. The Holy Spirit is the starting point. No solid spiritual work is built without him.
2. "Come" is a posture, not a call to someone absent. The Holy Spirit already dwells in you if you are born again.
3. You are spirit, soul, and body. God speaks to your spirit first; then let your understanding translate what he tells you.
4. Praying in tongues is speaking to God. It is not meant for people but for God; it is not performance, it is intimacy.
5. Your weakness is a place of welcome. When you run out of words, the Spirit intercedes for you.

Personal application

1. Before your next important decision (a choice, an appointment, a meeting), will you take two minutes to invite the Holy Spirit to lead that moment?
2. Which activity in your week do you run on autopilot, without having invited the Spirit into it? What would happen if you changed that?
3. If you do not yet pray in tongues, are you ready to make a simple, direct request to God this week?
4. If you already pray in tongues but rarely, what fixed time slot can you set aside to pray in tongues every day?
5. What area of your life leaves you speechless today? Dare to hand it over in silence to the Spirit, letting him intercede for you.

Verses cited

• Acts 2:1-4 · the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost
• 1 Corinthians 3:16 · you are God's temple
• 1 Thessalonians 5:23 · spirit, soul, and body
• Romans 5:5 · God's love poured out through the Spirit
• 1 Corinthians 14:2 · the one who speaks in a tongue speaks to God
• 1 Corinthians 13:1 · the tongues of men and of angels
• Romans 8:26 · the Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words
• 1 Corinthians 2:10 · the Spirit searches the depths of God
• Romans 8:28 · all things work together for good

FAQ

Do I have to speak in tongues to be a "real" Christian?

No. Salvation does not depend on a particular manifestation of the Holy Spirit, but on faith in Jesus Christ. Speaking in tongues is a gift that the Spirit distributes "as he wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11). What this message emphasizes is that it is available and useful, not that it is a test of authenticity.

What should I do if I have never spoken in tongues and want to start?

Ask God for it, simply. The pastor puts it this way: "ask the Holy Spirit to give you the gift of speaking in tongues." Then open your mouth, in faith, without trying to understand what you are saying. The first obstacle is almost always mental: wanting to control what needs to come from your spirit.

What good is it to pray in a language I do not understand?

At least three things: it builds up your inner man (1 Corinthians 14:4), it lets you address God when words fail you (Romans 8:26), and it lets the Spirit pray through you in line with the will of God. It is not a language to decode, it is a communion to be lived.