“But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil…
The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” Psalm 92:10,12-15
“You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5b
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.” Isaiah 44:3
Steady Spirit-inspired rhythms are beneficial and fortify purposeful living. Regular disciplines, the practice of learned truths, prudent boundaries, and consistently refined behavior are signs of spiritual health. But they can also hypnotize us into false maturity, rote answers, programmed responses, and dry output. We need fresh oil.
Has my daily quiet time grown stale? Do I stammer for answers when asked for advice, dull in recall of long-known biblical truths? Are there incidences that require specific wisdom and knowledge and I come up empty? On what habits do I rely to be adequate, yet find myself not progressing in understanding, or relinquishing pet sins, or putting away too-long-held godless attitudes? Have I grown callous to being convicted and changed? I need fresh oil.
Do I find myself snippy, irritable, or easily angered in an increasing number of situations, unable to exercise self-control? Where has lukewarm love for another diluted into disdain or apathy? What triggers my patience waning thin, or complaining growing fat? What evidence, if any, is there of the Spirit’s fruit in my daily attitudes and actions? Would my family or coworkers cite living proof? We need fresh oil. (Galatians 5:22-23)
When we come to Christ in repentance and genuine belief, we receive the Holy Spirit, who takes up forever residence in us. But cares and distractions trickle into our hours and psyches and fill us with all sorts of pettiness, fretting, frivolities, angst, and flesh reactions. We are commanded to be regularly filled with the Spirit, and He comes in fresh and abounding measure when we set these things aside and pray, and by God’s generous grace. If we desire His fresh anointing, He will give. (Luke 11:13; Acts 1:8; 2:38; 4:31; Ephesians 5:18)
“Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art –
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father, I thy true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
Be thou my battle shield, sword for my fight;
be thou my dignity, thou my delight,
thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tow’r;
raise thou me heav’n-ward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.” ~Old Irish, translated by Mary E. Byrne (1905)
Oh Lord, daily pour over me the fresh oil of Your Spirit, filling me to every cranny of mind and heart. May my outflow reflect Your Spirit of splendor and power, all to Your praise.
As the rain and snow 