Lesson 6. “Effective Prayer” School. Mary Alice Isleyb explains what the prayer of commitment, devotion, and humility is.
The Prayer of Commitment, Devotion, and Humility is a powerful prayer that expresses our will and obedience to God's plans for our lives. This is not a prayer for others; in it, you speak of your devotion and humility before God. Although it is a powerful prayer, a misunderstanding of it makes it weak and ineffective in the lives of believers. However, if we understand how this prayer works, we can be filled with the power and grace of the Lord, which will help us overcome every detail of God's plan.
Let us look at the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14. Jesus prayed with His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Filled with the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of prayer, Jesus “began to be deeply distressed and troubled” (verse 33).
Then Jesus said to the disciples:
… My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch.
And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him… Mark 14:34,35
What hour was Jesus referring to? The hour of His death, the inevitability of the crucifixion. Of course, everything He did was preparation for the crucifixion, but the true manifestation of obedience lay ahead of Him. He deeply felt the weight, responsibility, and tension of this moment. His obedience was to change the destiny of humanity, and Jesus knew it.
But Jesus also felt unable to accomplish the Father's will by His own strength. We think it was easy for Jesus to go to the cross, but that is not so when we consider His human nature. He was 100% God, but also 100% human. As a human being, it was difficult for Him to think about having to go to the cross. As the Son of God, it was easy, but His human flesh suffered and died!
Jesus' words reflect the struggle within Him. On the one hand, He wanted to go to the cross, but on the other, He would have preferred to avoid it. It was a conflict between His flesh and mind and His desire to fulfill the Father's will. But we see that through prayer Jesus received the strength to commit Himself fully to God's plan, regardless of the cost, and this commitment brought Him eternal glory.
If this were Your will
Jesus continues to pray:
“Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Mark 14:36
The last part of the verse causes much confusion because people think: “Well, Jesus prayed, ‘If it is Your will…,’ so I will pray that way too,” but they include these words in every prayer. And these words make prayers ineffective. “Father, if it is Your will to heal me, heal me.” This is not the prayer we should pray, because the Lord’s will is precisely to heal. He accomplished this in Christ. Healing is included in the redemptive work of salvation.
In such a situation, we need to use the Prayer of Faith, not the Prayer of Humility. If we pray according to the Word of God, we do not need to add every time, “If it is Your will,” because we know that His Word and His promises are His will.
On the other hand, Jesus prayed with the words, “If it is Your will.” This is a prayer of obedience and dedication to God, when He reveals His heart and plans to you and shows you which path you need to follow.
This type of prayer reveals the condition of… your heart. “Father, my life belongs to You. I dedicate my life to You. Let it be not what I want, but what You want.”
God is very good, but as Father, He requires obedience. This is what the Prayer of Dedication and Humility is based on: “Father, whatever You tell me to do, I will do. Wherever You tell me to go, I will go.”
If you know what to do and feel the strength to do it, do not say anymore, “If it is Your will…,” simply obey. A spirit of dedication must be present in your life! And to ensure this, you need to include this very kind of prayer in your prayer life.
I often pray this way: “Father, today I belong to You. My life is not my own; I live to obey You. I like being obedient to You. Not my own will, nor the will of man or the flesh, nor the will of the devil, but Your will—this is what I desire. Father, not what I desire, but what You desire.”
God expects dedication from His people. This does not mean that we sit and ask all day, “Lord, what is Your will? Should I wear green or red today?” We make many decisions ourselves, but in the broader sense, our hearts must be open to the Lord for His will to be carried out. We must obey Him and change if He requires it of us. And we express all this through the Prayer of Dedication, Devotion, and Humility.
God simply wants obedience
There are times when God asks us to do specific and definite things. This is what God requires of us. And although our mind or flesh may want to take a different path, show weakness, or rebel, in our hearts, through the Holy Spirit, we know what God is asking us to do. Here we are dealing with a specific area of our lives, as Jesus did that night in Gethsemane, when, in the Prayer of Dedication and Obedience, He submitted Himself to the Father's will, deciding to go to the cross.
Since this prayer is connected with obedience, it is very important to understand that obedience is not based on whether what God asks us to do is great or small. Obedience simply means obeying the Lord in everything.
Many people think, “If the Lord ever calls me to Africa, I will obey Him.” But if we disobey Him in something now, we will not obey Him in the future when He asks us to do something else. For the Lord, obedience is simply obedience, regardless of how great or small what God asks a person to do may seem. If we dedicate ourselves to the Lord, we commit ourselves to obeying Him in everything.
God Requires Willingness
We have seen that the Prayer of Dedication, Obedience, and Humility concerns obedience at every level and in every area of life. But it also implies the will. God requires both obedience and submission. He gave us this prayer so that both obedience and our will would work together in our carnal mind, which often resists the Lord.
Look at what Jesus says:
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14:38
Many people say, “Yes, the flesh is so weak,” and use this verse as an excuse for disobedience, unwillingness to obey, and stubbornness. Yes, the flesh is weak, but Jesus showed us how to pray in order to receive the grace and strength needed to overcome the weakness of the flesh and lack of will, and to bring them into submission and obedience.
Look at what the apostle Paul writes to the Christians in Philippi:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12–13
These two verses show what Christianity is really about: you and the Lord working together. A person must do their part, and God also has His part to do, and they work together to accomplish God's will on earth. It says that we must work out our salvation, but this must not be accomplished by our own strength alone. We must do our part, and the Lord will do His.
God gives you the ability to exercise your will and obey. Believe in the Lord's work in you.
Thank Him every day for what He does! Jesus did this. It strengthens us in obedience. He prayed the Prayer of Dedication, Obedience, and Humility, and, as Luke 22:43 says, angels immediately came down and strengthened Him so that He could go to the cross to fulfill the Father’s will.
And now I would like you to pray and dedicate yourselves to the Lord, praying from your hearts:
“Father, I pray the Prayer of Dedication, Obedience, and Humility. Every area of my life belongs to You. Father, I will go wherever You tell me to go and do whatever You tell me to do. Not my will, but Your will be done. Thank You, Father, for producing in me desires according to Your good pleasure. You have a wonderful plan for my life, a plan of peace and joy.
Father, I dedicate my entire life to You. You have a plan for every area of my life. Thank You, Father, for the joy of obedience. Father, I want to have a spirit of obedience in my life—not rebellion or pride, not resistance or hardness of heart, but a gentle, sensitive heart that desires to do anything that pleases You.
I renounce rebellion and stubbornness in the name of Jesus. Father, before Your face, I declare my willingness to do everything You want. It does not matter what people say or what the world says; You see a submissive person in me. You have found an obedient person.
Father, I will gladly do everything You tell me to do. Thank You, Father, for a spirit of faith and a spirit of obedience. Father, thank You that Your will will be accomplished in my life for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
End of the lesson.
