What is Consecration?
2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
Exodus 30:30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
1 Chronicles 29:5 The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?
Consecration essentially means to be set apart for God’s holy purpose. Aaron and his sons – ordinary men set apart and used by God. Silver and goldsmiths – ordinary men who set aside time to apply their God-given gifts/abilities to the building of the Kingdom of God. Silver and gold – ordinary elements of the earth set aside to be used as instruments in the tabernacle and the temple for worship and service to Almighty God.
The ordinary becomes extraordinary when set apart for God’s purpose. You and I may feel very ordinary, but we when we separate ourselves for the Lord’s purposes, we become extraordinary vessels used to bring glory to Him and advance His kingdom.
A manger in the time Jesus was born was typically a feed trough found in a stable. Some sources state these mangers were made from clay mixed with straw or from stones held together with mud; sometimes they were carved in natural outcroppings of rock. Whether the manger was made from wood, clay, or rock; it was still a vessel whose purpose was merely to hold food for animals. But on that fateful night, a manger was used to be a crib for Almighty God robed in flesh. That night, an ordinary manger was set apart as a bed for the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Creator of the universe.
During this time of consecration, we are setting ourselves apart from some things that typically consume our time (hobbies, movies, books, social media, etc.) in order to hear from God and be used by God. We shouldn’t approach this from a legalistic mindset where we think we are “earning” something, but rather from the understanding that God’s grace will enable us in a special way as we are privileged to spend more time in fellowship with Him.
As we set ourselves apart, God will move us from the ordinary to the extraordinary; from the natural to the supernatural.
Here are a couple prayers of consecration we can pray during this time of being set apart:
“May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love, and joy of God’s presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of my self as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love.”
-Andrew Murray.
“O great and unsearchable God, who knowest my heart, and triest all my ways; with a humble dependence upon the support of Thy Holy Spirit, I yield up myself to Thee; as Thy own reasonable sacrifice, I return to Thee Thine own. I would be for ever, unreservedly, perpetually Thine; whilst I am on earth, I would serve Thee; and may I enjoy Thee and praise Thee for ever! Amen.”
-Charles Spurgeon