Tongues is ALWAYS communication with Me. It always involves some heart to heart consciousness. But just as you relate in your mother tongue to people in a variety of ways – so you do with tongues. Sometimes you might be pouring out your heart, other times working co-operatively with someone, sometimes you might be singing a lullaby or asking a question. But tongues is never a monologue. However brief, it will always contain the 2 sides of our relationship – your part of the ‘conversation’ and mine. You say how is that possible? My Spirit links with your spirit in tongues in ways you could not possibly even imagine! Your open-ness and trust that I give good gifts sparks this into action.
(COMMENT: Jesus talking to Nicodemus- (John 3:12 NIV) I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? Also (1Cor 2:14 NKJV) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
We can pray or sing in tongues with particular purposes: for help / praise / worship / intercession / to settle God’s peace on us / to lament / speaking into a particular situation / to bless a particular person or group / meditation / expressing God’s heart or our heart / spiritual warfare / asking questions or finding out / building ourselves up / just being with God / keeping ourselves protected from other atmospheres / to release healing or deliverance.
If we let God choose what’s happening in our tongues the scope seems to be much wider! Often people singing in tongues on their own have heard themselves harmonising with a vast choir of heavenly voices and sounds; people have felt they were decreeing something in the Spirit and seen an instant change in circumstances; some people find they can suddenly see things from a different perspective.)