interpreting tongues

i had a cool experience at my spiritual gifts class last night. if you attend a church like mine, someone rising up and speaking in tongues on Sunday morning is not the norm. it isn't prohibited, just not expected. so my class becomes a sandbox of sorts, where people can risk expressing their gifts. but one gift you'd never know you have is the interpretation of tongues unless you hear someone speak to the group in tongues, rather than overhear someone worshipping privately in tongues. so last week, i closed in prayer and in tongues. no one that night stood up with an interpretation. last night, i wanted to encourage anyone who might have thought they understood something to risk sharing what they heard. the cool thing was someone did understand something, a person who in previous weeks, was not sure what gifts God had given them. she didn't understand much of it, but she did understand the phrase, "My God," being repeated. i'm so happy for this person. we interviewed her a little bit. she heard ecstatic utterings from me, but she also understood some of it, like a beginning bilingual learner.

i have to admit, i'm also encouraged. i pray in tongues alot, and frequently ask the Lord to give me the interpretation. i think he doesn't so that i don't isolate from his community, but to hear a hint of interpretation, encourages me and quiets those cessationist voices that lurk in the back of my head.

God is good