Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Day 19: The Anointing in the Listening



Post Exertional Malaise
This is the term for what I lay in bed feeling.
It's the "payback" that comes with many 
auto-immune diseases--
24 to 48 hours after the initial stress of 
something that is beyond the scope of your normal,
you should not be surprised if your body has a
secondary reaction of pain
and fatigue,
just as you thought you were ready to move 
out of the extra resting,
and back into the more normal slow
that your days had been shaped into.


Oh, Lord, how many hours will this last?
And what will my morning look like?
And where will my strength for the day
be found?


So, as I woke to less pain, and a grateful heart,
but still bearing the heavy fatigue,
I began my routine of catching up on reading,
visiting my favorite Biblical Bloggers.
 And my dear friend Joy, over at her site,


had shared a beautiful promise
that the Lord had whispered to her.



And I knew that it was time for me to 
LISTEN 
to what my Lord was speaking 
 

Isaiah 28:23 (NIV) Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.



Oh, yes, I understood what He was asking of me: it was time to revisit a song
that He had given me through a dream
more than 16 years ago.



"I will pour on you
the oil of gladness in the morning,

I will pour on you
the oil of my joy.

I will burn off all the dross,
Stir up what remains,

And I will pour on you
the oil of my joy."



At the time the song was given, I searched the Scriptures, and the historical processes for the Biblical anointing oil that 
was used by Moses. Was this song even Biblically accurate?  And this is what I found:


Exodus 30:22-25 (NIV) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.  Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil 



Then to understand the process that the "work of a perfumer" would have gone through, I found these words by David Levy, in his book, 


The Tabernacle: Shadows of the Messiah 


"The anointing oil was made from a specific formula. . . 
Rabbinical sources state that Moses, having reduced the solid ingredients to powder, steeped them in water until all the aromatic qualities were drawn out. The olive oil was then poured into the ingredients and the water boiled out. The residue thus obtained was preserved in a vessel for use."



Oh, but is this personal for me today?
What is the point of all this research?
 Is God still speaking this?



      
Jesus is the Anointed One of God,
and He came to bring His anointing
to any of us who would look to Him
as our Lord and Savior. 



In this place of pain and fatigue,
there is a burning going on,
LITERALLY  some days, as I use that word
to describe what the pain of a
Rheumatoid Arthritis Flare
or a
Fibromyalgia Flare
feels like.



But if I will let myself trust in the anointing process
 Jesus walks me through,
I can see that the burning GOD allows is only to
take off the layers of dross
that have attached themselves to my body
and my soul.
This will not be my state forever.



For a day is coming, either here on this earth,
or in Heaven at His throne,
when He will pour that pure anointing oil
freely over all of me,
and my crown will be a thing of beauty.



In the meantime, I know what He is asking of me,
and maybe He is asking the same of you.



Will we walk in the way of trusting?
Will we let Him touch our lives now
with the anointing of His oil,
and the
praise of His garments?





This is Day 19 of the #Write31Days Challenge.

And I am thankful that we are still on this Journey of Listening together.

If you would like to catch up on any of the previous posts,

click here for the Series Index 

        
         

  
 

    

8 comments:

  1. Oh Bettie, I feel for you with the understandable Post Exertional Malaise! It sounds far better than it feels, doesn't it? Malaise is such an understatement for paralysing fatigue and pain. I totally get the burning sensations, too. And these words brought grateful tears to my eyes:
    "I can see that the burning GOD allows is only to
    take off the layers of dross
    that have attached themselves to my body
    and my soul.
    This will not be my state forever"
    God has given you not only an attentive, listening ear but also a beautiful, receptive, submissive spirit. The oil of joy WILL be poured into you. Yes, even now as you wait for a deeper release from all that ails you. I sense it in the way your heart responds to God's whispers, in how well you bring hope and encouragement to others who suffer similarly. Thank you for linking to my blog. How sweet of you! Praying for blessings of deep rest and ease as the oil of holy joy seeps into your painful, weary bones. Bless you for faithfully sharing here. xox

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    Replies
    1. Dear Joy, what a comfort to know that you understand these difficulties that are faced by those of us with chronic illness! This Writing Challenge has certainly been just that: a challenge that sometimes feels impossible to complete! But I am so glad that God understands what we are facing even more deeply, and does have His oil of joy for us. Thank you for being such a great support and friend thru these days. May you find His rest and blessing to continue thru your days as well! xoxo

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  2. I totally get this. I have my own health issues. Thank you for stopping by my art blog: http://photojournalbykimberly.wordpress.com

    I'm part of the #write31days mastermind group we are part of.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kimberly,
      I am sorry that you have to deal with health issues too. But I'm so thankful that our God is with us thru each step! I'm glad to get to "know" you thru the mastermind group. --Blessings!

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  3. Bettie, this series is fantastic! Thank you for letting me know you are writing it. I didn't know you knew Joy Lenton. I've worked with her on several projects. She is such a beautiful soul. Congratulations on your new grandbaby. So precious. <3 And if you'd ever like to contribute a Guest Post for Chronic Joy Ministry, we'd love to feature you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Cindee! I am so glad you know Joy also! She has been such an encouragement to me through this journey. And, thank you for your kind offer to share a post over at Chronic Joy Ministry. I will email you with my questions about that! :) --Blessings to you!

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  4. I'm so sorry you're suffering "payback," Bettie. It's so hard to avoid, isn't it? Stress makes it even worse. I'm sure you have a lot of stress with wondering about the biopsy results. No matter what, I believe God will surely pour into you the oil of joy. You are so very precious to Him! Praying God will give you physical and soul rest! Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Trudy, Thank you so much for those sweet prayers for both physical and soul rest! It's so true that we need both, isn't it? And that reminds me of Bonnie Gray's SPIRITUAL WHITESPACE, where I think we "met" first, during her link-ups! I am so thankful for those words from then, also. God knows what lies ahead for us, and gives us Grace for this journey. May you be blessed with His rest also, my friend! xoxo

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