During my (Prophet Roelof Meijer) interactions with Christians from all kinds of denominations, the importance of praying in the Spirit came up regularly. At first, I thought it was strange. Why would that be so important? Yet, I began to open up more and more to the idea that this praying in a strange language might be important. (And it is, because it pushes the boundaries of what is possible for you as a human being.)
So one day I decided to start practicing. You receive the gifts of the Spirit, but you can also practice them. When you reach out for the gifts of healing, you don’t suddenly become a robot guided by the Spirit, laying hands on others and praying for healing. It’s the same with praying in tongues, and that’s what I wanted to reach for as well. But how do you prevent yourself from starting to pray in your own words?
For me, it helped that I had memorized a few Bible verses in Hebrew. So I began reciting Psalm 150:6 in Hebrew, so that I could let go of my own thoughts and control. Soon after, I let go of the Hebrew words and began praying with different sounds. At first, that felt very strange. But there was more!
As I was praying like that, a deep love welled up within me. It wasn’t just any kind of love, but a very conscious and deeply rooted love for the Lord Jesus. For me, this was one of the first signs that this praying in the Spirit did not come from myself, but was guided and inspired by the Spirit. Hallelujah!