Monday Morning Devo - Anointing

Psalm 23:5b - "Thou anointest my head with oil."

Back in David's lifetime, anointing the head with oil usually meant something big.

There were several types of anointing in the Bible:

1. Anointing oneself. I think this must be like when a person rose in the morning they put a little oil on their hair, with more than one purpose: Perfumed oil perhaps to overwhelm the smell of sweat and dirt (like a scented deodorant); to suffocate fleas, mites, and lice; and maybe even with the same purpose that we use hair conditioners--to reduce static electricity and keep your hair from flying all over the place.
2. Anointing for healing. The Bible commands us to anoint people who need healing, and it gives instances where during the first century they would anoint a piece of cloth and take to to the sick, who were healed.
3. Anointing of the Spirit. This was a special God-given anointing given to prophets and evangelists, who would preach and heal and lead.
4. Anointing for leadership, whether as king (mostly in the Old Testament) or as missionaries (new testament).

I'm fairly certain this last one is the anointing David meant when he wrote the Psalm that became the twenty-third in that book. Samuel had anointed David's head with oil and told him he would be king. It was probably about ten years between the time when Samuel anointed him and the time he began to reign.

I wonder if David ever forgot that anointing. It would have been easy to give up on the promise the anointing carried. Have you ever waited a long time to see God's answer to a promise or a prayer?

It's my belief God anoints each one of us who accepts Him as our own King. Each of us has at least one job to do for Him, and when He gives us an assignment He give us whatever we need to accomplish that goal.

Prayer: Father, grant us patience to wait for Your answer to prayer, to wait for Your anointing to proceed with an assignment, or to speak Your word where and when it's needed. Thank You, Lord.