11.16 The prayer of dedication
The prayer of dedication can either be for seeking God’s direction or for receiving His strength to walk in His will.
There are times when we may not know God’s will and we may be seeking for direction. But sometimes, our willfulness goes ahead of God. When God the Holy Spirit says turn left, but our own will says to turn right, we will usually end up turning right. The Holy Spirit is gentle but some people may be very willful.
At other times, our will may not be as strong as the earlier scenario, but it is still at work. When we have we set our mind on a direction, it is very hard to hear from the Lord in prayer. We will be alternating between the two directions like a double-minded person.
We need to dedicate and surrender our will to Him. Our hearts should be in neutral gear so that we can hear His leading. This is the kind of prayer that contains “IF”. For example, “Lord, I surrender to You, show me IF it is the right decision for me to take this job.” When we surrender our will to God, we will be able to discern His leading clearer.
On other occasions, we may already know God’s will but we may lack the strength to walk in it. We may even be on the verge of backing out. We need to surrender ourselves to His will and to receive strength and passion from the Holy Spirit to go through it. Jesus prayed this prayer on the night He was betrayed. As He surrendered Himself to God, He received strength to go through the agony of His betrayal and His subsequent crucifixion.
(Luke 22:41-43)
And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, IF it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, STRENGTHENING Him.
Today, are you seeking for His will? Do you desire to be led by the Holy Spirit? You need to be in neutral gear – dedicating yourself to Jesus. When you pray the prayer of dedication, you will hear His leading clearer.
Or have you heard His calling, yet lack the strength to fulfill? If that is so, just like Jesus, you can draw strength from Him through the prayer of dedication.
There are times when we may not know God’s will and we may be seeking for direction. But sometimes, our willfulness goes ahead of God. When God the Holy Spirit says turn left, but our own will says to turn right, we will usually end up turning right. The Holy Spirit is gentle but some people may be very willful.
At other times, our will may not be as strong as the earlier scenario, but it is still at work. When we have we set our mind on a direction, it is very hard to hear from the Lord in prayer. We will be alternating between the two directions like a double-minded person.
We need to dedicate and surrender our will to Him. Our hearts should be in neutral gear so that we can hear His leading. This is the kind of prayer that contains “IF”. For example, “Lord, I surrender to You, show me IF it is the right decision for me to take this job.” When we surrender our will to God, we will be able to discern His leading clearer.
On other occasions, we may already know God’s will but we may lack the strength to walk in it. We may even be on the verge of backing out. We need to surrender ourselves to His will and to receive strength and passion from the Holy Spirit to go through it. Jesus prayed this prayer on the night He was betrayed. As He surrendered Himself to God, He received strength to go through the agony of His betrayal and His subsequent crucifixion.
(Luke 22:41-43)
And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, IF it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, STRENGTHENING Him.
Today, are you seeking for His will? Do you desire to be led by the Holy Spirit? You need to be in neutral gear – dedicating yourself to Jesus. When you pray the prayer of dedication, you will hear His leading clearer.
Or have you heard His calling, yet lack the strength to fulfill? If that is so, just like Jesus, you can draw strength from Him through the prayer of dedication.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 11:34 PM
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