Praying in Tongues for Breakthrough: How the Holy Spirit Enhances Your Prayers

Many times, I didn’t know how or what to pray about my loved one’s situation.

I prayed as far as I could with the knowledge I possessed. But I sensed in my heart that more was going on, and I needed to stay with it. The Bible refers to this dilemma in Romans.

So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance (Romans 8:26 AMPC).

When we don’t know how to pray about a situation, we have help. The Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up! This doesn’t mean He will do our praying for us while we sleep. No! Instead, the Holy Spirit helps us by giving us supernatural words that are the right thing to pray in that situation.

And in like manner also the Spirit lends us a helping hand with reference to our weakness, for the particular thing that we should pray for according to what is necessary in the nature of the case, we do not know with an absolute knowledge; but the Spirit himself comes to our rescue by interceding with unutterable groanings (Romans 8:26 WET).

Praying in tongues is one of the most valuable tools we can use, especially when praying for others. When there are struggles going on behind the scenes, such as thoughts of suicide or self-harm bombarding their minds, we may not be aware of it.

In many situations, we don’t understand exactly what needs to happen for them to yield to God and accept Jesus, but the Holy Spirit knows! The Holy Spirit knows what they are facing and what is stopping them from receiving from God. So, we can pray from our spirits and allow the Holy Spirit to help us by giving us the spiritual utterance of what to pray. By doing this, we can pray for things that are already the will of God for their lives.

He will pray through us as we give Him utterance by speaking in other tongues.

For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding] (1 Corinthians 14:2 AMPC).

While we don’t comprehend, God understands the prayer in tongues. The Scripture says when we speak in tongues, we speak to God. We pray for things that are not obvious to our understanding. Yet, God hears, understands, and answers our prayers because when we pray with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are praying the perfect will of God.

And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will (Romans 8:27 AMPC).

When we intercede and don’t know how to pray, He comes to meet our supplications. He comes to help us move the heavy situation. For instance, if a person’s car is broken down and they need help pushing it out of the road, someone may come along to help them push it.

The Holy Spirit comes alongside to help us. In John 14:16 (KJV), Jesus Christ said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.” The word Comforter is the Greek word paraclete. It means “one who comes alongside to help.” The Holy Spirit is our Helper. When we begin praying in tongues, He comes alongside and adds His ability. If we let the Holy Spirit help us, we won’t have to strain.

We have the authority to release things in the spiritual realm. But we need to develop sensitivity and an ability to hear the Lord. We learn to partner with Him.

When the Holy Spirit intercedes within us, He gives us the words to say. For instance, I was in an airport and saw a gate agent pick up a microphone and say, “Flight 1250 to Los Angeles will be departing. Gates will be closing in three minutes.” But I couldn’t hear her on the loudspeaker. Within a few moments, a recording came across the loudspeaker. It wasn’t the lady’s voice. She was speaking into the microphone, and it was taking her voice through a recording system. It was a voice-over that sounded like a radio announcer. That woman told the voice-over equipment what to say, and the equipment received the information and broadcast it through the airport.

The Holy Spirit gives us the words to say because we have authority on the earth. Our authority is a vocal authority, and the Lord needs us to speak some things forth. The Holy Spirit will say things so that we will declare them. Then, God has the legal access to bring them to pass. But He must use our voice!

So, the Holy Spirit picks up the receiver and tells us what to say! A spiritual language comes out. We may not understand it with our minds, but it comes from the Spirit of God Himself. It comes directly in line with His will. We can supernaturally declare things. In doing so, we supernaturally release things.

After you have prayed in the Holy Spirit, claim Mark 11:23-24 over your words. Say, “I have prayed in tongues, yielding to the Holy Spirit. I have prayed the perfect will of God. I believe I receive what I am saying. I am exercising my faith, and by faith, I receive what I have just prayed in the Spirit.”

You don’t have to know it to receive it. You already know it is the perfect will of God. Now, use your faith to believe and receive it.

For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth… (1 Corinthians 14:14 KJV)

The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, says: “For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays….”

So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance (Romans 8:26 AMPC).

The Wuest Expanded Translation says: “He lends us a helping hand.” We don’t always have complete knowledge of what our family members are facing and what is coming against them. But the Holy Spirit does. Once you have prayed everything you know to pray in the natural, say, “Father, I am going to take hold of this situation with the help of the Holy Spirit. I am going to pray in the Spirit and release Your will over this situation.” Then, begin to pray in the Spirit.

I know we can pray in the Spirit while we do other things like folding clothes or washing dishes. But practice praying in the Spirit when you can devote time to listening and working with Him in prayer. You will gain a greater sensitivity to what He is saying.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28 KJV)

You may have heard this verse used to explain a tragedy. But that is not the proper context of that passage. All things work together as a response to partnering with the Lord in prayer and praying the perfect will of God by praying in the Spirit. Now that you have prayed and released faith about the situation, all things can work together for good.

Isn’t that what you want? You want things to work out for good. Then, you should utilize this holy help daily and pray the will of God for that specific purpose in their lives. We are not walking in the other person’s shoes or living in their world, so we will come to the end of what we know to pray. But the Holy Spirit bears us up and comes to our aid when we don’t know how to pray. The Holy Spirit goes to meet our supplication and pleads on our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

Your Intervention Prayer

Father God, I approach You in Jesus’ name. I worship You for Your faithfulness to Your Word. I can trust in You because You are steadfast and full of integrity.

Lord, I hold fast my confession of faith for the freedom and salvation of (insert your loved one’s name). I act on Hebrews 10:23 and hold fast the profession of my hope without wavering because You are faithful to Your word. Because You give me victory through the Lord Jesus Christ, I am steadfast and immovable!

I will not waver or lose my courage. I will continue in faith because You love me. You love (insert your loved one’s name) even more than I love him/her. Your desire to free (insert your loved one’s name) and fill him/her with Your life is greater than the desire I have to see him/her free.

God, You know what (insert your loved one’s name) needs to hear and who can reach him/her with words of truth. I pray for You to prepare the people who can speak to (insert your loved one’s name). Cause their paths to cross and give Your people the boldness to speak the right things to (insert your loved one’s name).

Lord, Your Word will not return void. It will accomplish what You please. You have sent Your Word to (insert your loved one’s name). I pray for every seed of truth that has ever been planted in the heart of (insert your loved one’s name) to be watered and come forth in a harvest of revelation knowledge. The seed of Your Word is incorruptible. I praise You, Jesus, for the harvest of the Word in the heart of (insert your loved one’s name).