For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Don Whitlock
Have you ever head that if you pray in tongues, the devil can't understand? Or that you can speak in tongues if you don't know what to pray for?
Chelle Hallman
1 Corinthians 14:1-2 Let love be your highest goal, but also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives especially the gift of prophecy. For if your gift is the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking to God but not people, since they will not be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious.
The human mind does not understand the words so the element of fear/doubt or unbelief cannot enter the prayer making it perfect. You are praying the perfect will of God. In addition, the enemy (devil) does not have access to understand it.
When you are praying in tongues it allows the Holy Spirit to pray for us. The heavenly language lines up with God’s perfect will. Praying in tongues also builds up your most holy faith. Jude 1:20 But you beloved, continue to building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:26-28 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress (our infirmities or weaknesses) For we do not know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
To pray as directed by the Holy Spirit means to pray in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit prays for us (Romans 8:26,27), opens our mind to Jesus (John 14:26), and teaches us about Him (John 15:26)