Every Father's Day at Church 29:11 we pass out small vials of oil to our dads and single moms since they, too, are the head of their household. Here's an explanation of why and what to do with it.
Many people have heard the reference from the Bible in the book of James where those who are sick are instructed to ask for prayer. The promise is that they should be anointed with oil and the prayer of faith will heal them. Not maybe. Will. (James 5:14)
That's a great promise! But anointing with oil is much more than just for healing. In the old testament - that's before Jesus came - it was used to consecrate or set apart the priests who would minister in the temple. The furnishings of the temple were also anointed as being set apart for that particular use. (They wouldn't loan out a couple of temple chairs for someone's small group that week!) And kings, the God-chosen leaders of Israel, were anointed with oil. When others saw a person that had been anointed, it was obvious because in those days they used an entire flask or horn filled with oil and poured it over their head!
Then anointing with oil was something like marking a person, or even an object, for some purpose. So when we anoint a person who is sick (today a little dab is enough) we are marking them to be healed, to be healthy. And many churches today anoint new ministers, marking them for the ministry that God has called them to.
What could all of this mean for my house? What could it mean to dads and single moms? What could it mean to single adults, too, who are on their own and therefore head of their household? As priest of your home you should be praying over the members of your household for health, wisdom, direction, and a hundred other things. You should pray over the objects or possessions God has given you that they would be a blessing never an obstacle of serving God. For example...
When your child is sick in the night, take that little bottle of oil and just place a dab of it onto their forehead or the place of illness in their body and pray, marking them for healing.
If they are having trouble sleeping, or bad dreams, then anoint their bed and their bedroom, pray as you mark that bed to become a place of rest and their room as a place of peace.
If you need a financial miracle, mark your checkbook or bank statement for a miracle.
If attacks are coming against your family, mark some place that could stand as the symbol of the source of the attacks, even if it's your front porch that you mark like the Israelites did to protect their families from the destroyer that was moving through Egypt. (Exodus 12:22-23)
But be proactive, too.
Anoint the doors and windows of your home, praying as you mark them to block spiritual attacks of fear, temptation, discord, etc.
Anoint your child's smartphone and computer, praying as you mark them to protect your child from temptation, cyberbullies, predators, etc.
I could list dozens of examples. And some of this may sound crazy if you've never thought or heard of doing this before. But the power is not in the oil. The power for healing, protection, deliverance, whatever you need is in your obedience. You see, in another place in the book of James he reminds us that we often don't have what we need "because you do not ask God." (James 4:1-3) So ask. Believe. And do so with the right attitude. You can't ask God for a financial miracle and be a couch potato. God has already planned how He can give us a miracle. He's just waiting on us.
So one final point. The oil of the old testament was symbolic of the Holy Spirit who would come in great power to anoint Jesus first (Matthew 3:16), then all of His followers, as many as God calls to Him (Acts 2:38-39). That includes us! So we can pray with the power of the Spirit of God, not just with us, but within us! Remember, the power is not in the oil but in our obedience to operate in tandem with the Spirit of God!
I would love to hear from you, not if but when God meets a need for you!
Comments
Post a Comment