Journey of the SoulSample

A Prayer of Consecration 

The shepherd-king David is described in the Bible as a man after God’s own heart. His prayers of devotion fill the Psalms and give us strength and comfort. Repeatedly in the Psalter we see that when David was treated unjustly, he didn’t seek revenge but submitted to his Sovereign, set his heart’s passion on his Lover, and prayed for his enemies. (That is the spirit of the T Stage.)

Like many of God’s great ones through history, John Wesley penned a prayer of total dedication to love the Lord and his neighbors, and this inspired his spiritual renewal and ongoing life in the Spirit: “O Lord, may nothing dwell in my soul but your pure love alone. Till my every thought, word, and act be love. Yes, Lord, may your love possess me whole; You’re my joy, my treasure, my crown!”

A consecration prayer is helpful at all of the CHRIST stages. Wesley was probably in the Inner Journey (I Stage) when he penned his prayer. In the final stage of Transforming Union (T Stage) we embody our prayer of consecration in a life of love that engages our whole being.

In Psalm 63 David prays with his entire self, using each of his personality functions to love God and others. Then in Psalm 86 he offers his soul to Adonai with a simple prayer of the heart: “O Lord, encircle me, for I love you. . . . To you I lift up my soul” (vv. 1–4, authors’ paraphrase).

Here are some steps to use David’s prayer to lift up your whole person to God in a life of devoted love: 

1. Pray with David: “O Lord, encircle me, for I love you. . . . To you I lift up my soul.” 

2. Repeat the prayer, replacing “soul” with each personality function below.

3. As you pray, engage your body in prayer by using the suggested hand motions:

• Heart (touch your physical heart)
• Mind (touch your head)
• Feelings (touch your stomach)
• Body (make a muscle with your arms)
• Social connections (move your hands in from your chest and out toward your social environment)
• Soul (bring your hands down toward your waist and lift them up and out like a fountain)

What was your experience with using David’s consecration prayer to devote your whole self (all your personality functions) to God?