Prompted to pray in tongues

In the year 2000 approximately, a girl from church asked if I wanted to share a flat.  I was newly saved, about a year, and she a little longer.  I didn't know her very well, and she was being obedient as she felt it was from the Lord to ask me.  I was living a fair distance from church at the time, so was considering the option.

I asked her when, and she said 2 weeks.  I said 2 weeks, I was thinking more in 2 months... but she said that time frame wouldn't do in her current circumstances, and so, within a short while we were flat hunting. We found a place in Ashfield, NSW.

The day we moved in she was all excited and walking up the front steps she told me that she got engaged last night. Initially I thought, 'oh great' - without the exclamation mark, as I knew I would have to find a new flat mate in about 9 months time.  But, after that initial moment, I was genuinely happy for her. Rejoicing with her all the way to her wedding day! (I was honoured to be asked to sign her marriage certificate).

In all, this strange duo, me 11 years older than her, were a great combo!!

We were blessed with many many hours of talking, sharing, encouraging.  We helped each other through the current season we were both in. She getting ready for marriage, me getting sorted in life after big changes :). I had so many self -esteem issues, and she really encouraged me.

Move ahead ... she got married, she fell pregnant.

One day, I was at home and I felt such a burden to go into my room, shut the door, and pray in tongues.  It was a real desperate, deep praying time.  I was there for quite a while, I was keeping a slight eye on the clock, but was remaining led by the Spirit.

During the praying I asked the Lord, "why am I praying like this?" and I had the thought of my ex-flat mate, and I said, I think [my friend] is having her baby!

After praying deeply, groanings, tongues, for quite a while, all of a sudden peace came.  I looked at the clock and felt to note the time, especially as I wanted an indication to know it was for my [friend].  I then went about my day.

Later that day I received a phone call from the husband of my [friend].  He said that he and his wife are the proud parents of a new baby boy.  I was so excited for them and I asked how it went.  He said that it was touch and go for a time, as the baby's head was too big for the birth process and at one point it looked like the baby would not get past the cervix as his head was stuck.  He explained that the Doctor and medical staff were working hard, trying to decided what process to take, but then all of a sudden his baby boy was finally born naturally, and that, although a stressful birth for mother and baby, they were both OK.  I asked, what time was he born?  The new dad said --:--

I was so surprised as that was exactly the time (to the minute) that I had made a special note to look at the clock, when I felt to stop praying in tongues, when the peace came.

I shared my story with the new Dad, what had been taking place that afternoon and the time I  recorded as to when the prayer specifically stopped.

He was encouraged, I was encouraged, and in all, with this new baby boy, everyone was rejoicing.

I felt blessed that the Lord would prompt me to pray for them at this crucial time of the birth.  I felt so honoured to be a part of it in this way. I was blessed that mother and baby were ok, and dad rejoicing.

The following is a exert from a Smith Wigglesworth writing regarding Tongues in Chapter 18 - book title - unknown?:

On this line I want to tell you about Willie Burton, who is laboring for God in the Belgium Congo. Brother Burton is a mighty man of God and is giving his life for the heathen in Africa. He took fever and went down to death. They said; "He has preached his last; what shall we do?" All their hopes seemed to be blighted, and there they stood, with broken hearts, wondering what was going to take place. They left him for dead; but, in a moment, without any signal, he stood right in the midst of them; and they could not understand it. The explanation he gave was this, that, when he came to himself, he realized a warmth going right through his body; and there wasn't one thing wrong with him. How did it come about? It was a mystery until he went to London and was telling the people how he was left for dead, and then was raised up. A lady came up and asked for a private conversation with him, and arranged a time. She asked, "Do you keep a diary?" He answered, "Yes." She told him, "It happened on a certain day that I went to pray; and as soon as I knelt, I had you on my mind. The Spirit of the Lord took hold of me and prayed through me in an unknown tongue. A vision came before me in which I saw you laid out helpless; and I cried out in the unknown tongue till I saw you rise up and go out of that room." She had kept a note of the time and when he turned to his diary he found that it was exactly the time when he was raised up. There are great possibilities as we yield to the Spirit and speak unto God in quiet hours in our bedrooms. God wants you to be filled with the Holy Ghost so that everything about you shall be charged with the dynamic of heaven.

Salvation - Glory - part 3

In the meantime God had brought this South African girl into my circle and she and I became quite inseparable, and during my dropping her home one evening after a meeting (with her limited time left in Australia) she said that she wants to see Ayres Rock, Darwin etc and I passingly said, 'I've always wanted to do that' but not thinking about joining her, just commenting.

Then out loud she says '' L E T S   DO   I T'.  I can still hear her saying it.  I again got all nervous, thinking I hardly know her, will it be OK etc.  I checked with work and yes, it was all fine, I was on my own little trip through Australia.

We had a great time!  People were thinking we had been friends for years and years, not weeks! It really was a God encounter.

Finally it was the day for [boyfriend] to come home.  I went to the Sydney International Airport to collect him and saw him walking toward me, and as I watched him walk toward me I realised that I had changed so much in those 9 weeks that this person walking toward me I hardly knew.

During a conversation within the following week, I explained to [boyfriend] that I felt that I needed to get to know him again.  I also told him I wanted to do things the right way!

Salvation comes from the Lord - the former years

Significant Moments:

• When approximately 9 years old I was walking with Mum and said "I don't need to go to church because I know God lives in my heart'.
• When approximately 13 years old, walking to high school, remembering exactly where I was (Cordelia Avenue, Coolbellup, crossing the road) I said to myself 2 x "I don't know what I am here for, but I know it is for a special reason.  I don't know what I am here for but I know it is for a special reason:.
• When 29 years old, 1997, I responded to God's call through Jesus Christ and received forgiveness and salvation.

The Full Story:

I remember when I was about 9 or so, I was walking with my mum and out of the blue I said to her 
'I don't need to go to church because God lives in my heart'. It is probably one of the most profound things I have ever said! (I do believe that church is a good and blessed place to go, as God says to meet together, but back then, this was a statement of Faith).  My memory recalls my mum 'falter' and say something like 'well, yes, umm, ok' but I think she was more shocked about what I had just said, and she didn't really know how to respond. On the day it was just a random thought and comment, and it just flew out of my heart and mouth.  I've never forgotten that one little moment!  God lives in my heart!

The background. The influences.

My Nana became / was a very devout Catholic. She would arrive at our place on Sunday mornings to take us to church. I went once or twice, but I was extremely timid and shy and scared. I didn't like going to church or any gathering because there were ... 'people there'. My Nana, bless her heart, would always talk God, but there was always a lot of fear in her talk.  Such as: the 3 days of darkness (she even had a special candle made up so it would last 3 days... it was really tall!) and it was all doom doom doom, punishment etc.

Salvation Comes from the Lord - part 2.

There were a lot of years between those early days until the day when God brought a Christian girl in to my path. He really knows how to speak to us.

I had moved from Perth to Sydney.

I had a boyfriend. Someone I had known as a friend for a long time.

It is now 1996 and I am now 28 years.  I hadn't worked for over a year, I was pretty much on extended leave due to overwork, but soon realised that I needed to get myself back to work.  I applied for a job and started working as a secretary.  This Christian girl truly was a God send. She had started at this workplace a week before me. She was the receptionist, but it was my job to cover the gaps and help at reception when required.  The blessing was that I had often finished my job early, so was able to do a fair bit of work at reception and spend time talking to this girl.

Initially I found out she sang! That was a big draw card for me - I found that someone being able to sing was one of the most amazing things. It was beautiful to hear lovely voices, but it was the expression that could be given through someones heart, through a song.

Prayer for my Nana

At this time my Nana was 96 years old.  She was still in quite good spirit and health.  (2008)

The process.  The prayer / the Dream / Nana's excitement / the phone call.

The prayer:

One day in 2008 I was walking through my unit toward the kitchen, when I felt this strong sense to pray for my Nana.  It was quite an arrest of my spirit, so I sat on the couch and I said to the Lord, 'what do you want me to pray for' and the response I felt was, 'I want you to pray for her death'.

This was a bit strange, but I felt it was from the Lord.  Plus, she was 96 years old and her time would come one day.  So I sat and prayed for about 5 minutes.  The things I prayed for were along the line of: Lord take her peacefully / quietly and without pain and that she would get to do everything that she needed to do before she left this earth and went on to her Heavenly Father. I also prayed for her heart, for Jesus to deal with any issues that need to be dealt with.

The dream:

A week or so later I had a dream.  I was in a church and there were pew type seats and some people I knew from church, and then there was this young girl in a beautiful white dress standing in front of me - holding the sides of her dress open with a playful swing in her stance. I said to her 'Nana, you are here, you are here'.  In saying 'you are here', I knew it was heaven, and this young girl whom I somehow knew was my Nana, was in white, and she was youthful.  And I was joyed that she was in heaven.  As she was Catholic, the pews in the dream made sense.

Guidance in Finding a New Home

I lived in Sydney in a 3 storey unit block, 3rd floor.

Prior to this place, I was living in a unit in a nearby suburb sharing with a girl from Church. I had the privilege of sharing with 3 flat mates in this unit over the course of 3 or 4 years. Many lessons, many laughs were lived in this home.

In this post I would like to share the guidance and interventions I had in getting the go ahead to move and where to move to.

I lived in the 1st unit of an Art deco block of 4. I was sharing with 'flatmate 3' at the time. I had wanted to move for a while but I wanted the time to end by God's determining, not mine. I very much felt I needed Gods OK to move on.

Some time later........