Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done. Luke 22:42 (NKJV)
The prayer of dedication is the “if it is Your will” prayer. Unfortunately, Christians tend to pray this prayer far too often. You see, the prayer of dedication should only be used when God’s will is unknown.
God’s Word clearly teaches us that it is His will for you to be healthy, prosperous and blessed. However, it does not tell you whether you should move to another city or take a certain job. You also can’t find a scripture to tell you which home to buy, who to marry or what career to choose.
In these situations, when God’s Word is silent on the matter, pray the prayer of dedication. That being said, it is NOT appropriate to pray, “I want to be healed, but only if it’s Your will.”
If someone brought you your favourite cake for your birthday, wouldn’t it be silly if you started begging them for a piece? They would think, “It’s yours. If you want a piece, you can have it!” It would be even crazier if you called them the next day and the day after that to beg them for another piece. That’s exactly what you’re doing when you pray the prayer of dedication over things that God has already promised you.
There are times to pray “if it is Your will” prayers. We’ll get into that tomorrow, but when it comes to healing, prosperity, peace, wisdom or anything else God has promised you, praying “if it’s Your will” shows you doubt that God wants you to have His promises.
If God promised something, it’s definitely His will. If you’re not sure what He has promised, search the Bible to become fully convinced of His promises so you can believe and receive them.