Anointed

Happy Monday! Today is the last Monday of the school year. I am still counting down...

I have thought and thought about whether or not to post about a very profound part of my family's week last week. Jack was my example to share what happened. I will get back to what he did in a bit.

Last Wednesday night, after church, our family, Tom and Elaine, along with a very dear friend, who is an elder's wife and their son, went to the elder's room. I had spoken to our elder regarding bringing Jack in to be anointed with oil in the name of the Lord, and prayed over. I think that it is hard for me to talk or write about this night because it seemed so intensely personal and sacred, but it was so special I want to share it with you.

We all walked into the elders room together with the large group of men waiting. I think we have about 20 elders. They seated us and asked us to give them an update on Jack and what has been happening health wise and life wise too. After we talked with them for about 5 minutes, one of the elder's asked Jack to sit in a chair in the center of the room, he sat in a chair right across from Jack, so he could talk to Jack face to face. He read Jack the scripture from James 5 referring to the anointing of oil, and made Jack feel so comfortable with this process. This elder then went on to show Jack a piece of paper that he had hanging in the middle of his mirror that had Jack's name penciled in, and Sophie's along with another boy from our congregation typed in. This elder had been given Sophie and the other boy to pray for them 2 years ago. When Jack got sick he penciled Jack's name on the list. He hung that paper in the middle of his bathroom mirror, so when he shaves in the morning it is the first thing he see's and actually has to move his head around it to see his own face to shave. He showed Jack the paper and shared that story with him. Jack's eyes were huge at this point. You could tell that he just felt the love of this elder and the love of all the elders in the room.
At that point the elder showed Jack the bottle of oil you see in the picture and told him he was going to pour it on his head and that all the elders were going to put their hands on him and would say a prayer for him. He poured some oil on Jack's head and rubbed it around a bit, then started the most humbling, amazing, spirit filled,...prayer chain that went through each elder. I looked around the room as the men were praying for Jack asking for God to heal him, bless him, give us all strength....you could have cut the love with a knife, I have never had a spiritual moment like that before, and I have had some blessed moments with the Lord where His presence is apparent, but they were not like this. I just felt the Lord, I felt like the air that I took in each breath was filled with the aroma of prayer and love, love from our family, the elders and the Lord's presence.

Earlier that morning when I was reading James 5 to Jack, Derek and Sophie, explaining to them what was going to happen at church that night, Jack's only request was that I not cry. He does not like me to cry, talk about unrealistic expectations for such an emotional person as myself.
I did not cry but there were tears to be wiped that night, off the cheeks of men, women and children.
I am grateful that we have such a humble group of men who love Jesus and do their very best to shepherd our flock.

The next morning I asked Jack what he had thought about the night after he had some time to think about it. He said that it made his heart feel good. Then he said, I told you not to cry, I said that I didn't, and he said, "I know, but I almost did, I had to wipe my eyes."
The tears almost came when I looked down at Jack during the prayer and the first thing that I noticed was Derek's hand on Jack's scar on the back of his head, and Sophie's hand laying on Jack's arm, that touched me and I hope that when I close my eyes and think about that moment I will never forget the love of Jack's siblings for him and the gentleness that they touched him with that night.

I have shared what I believe to be intensely personal information about my walk with the Lord with the readers of this blog because I feel so strongly that it is through our weaknesses that the Lord is glorified in our lives because of the evidence of mercy and grace He so freely gives, and the transformation of heart. So I am not sure why it has taken me almost a week to talk openly about this night, but Jack told me he was going to take the anointing oil, that the elders have given him to remember the prayer time that night, to school and tell his friends about the prayer time and show them the oil during their regular "share time" on Friday morning. Jack was so imprinted with that experience that he wanted to share it with his friends. And his friends were thrilled to hear about it, some had even seen anointings before and told him their experiences, wow. So the tears have now come as I humble myself before the Lord and open my heart like Jack so gladly opens his.

Thank you our Almighty God for your mercy and grace, may I recognize and take hold of the peace you so gladly offer, may I allow you to take this broken vessell and do your work, may I know that I have victory through You. In your precious and mighty Son's name, Amen.