View Blog Entry

When my friend poured oil over my head, I was surprised. It was an odd meeting. She came to me, saying the Lord had called her to pray for and anoint me. It was timely, for I had been reading about how we are each anointed to serve God in His kingdom, but I felt anything but equipped and empowered to make a difference anywhere. I was an ordinary schoolteacher, not a powerful influencer, but I was God’s vessel. 

My friend didn’t just pour a little oil. She kept pouring. And pouring. She actually emptied the entire little bottle over my head and announced, “God wants you to believe that you have been anointed by Him to serve in His kingdom.” We both laughed as oil ran down my hair and onto my shirt collar. I certainly couldn’t deny now that I had been anointed.

Sometimes God gets right in our moments to answer our doubts. That’s what happened to Peter. His brother and fishing partner, Andrew, was seeking God with all his heart and became a disciple of John the Baptist. When he met Jesus, he realized that he’d found the one he’d been seeking. Andrew then introduced Peter to the Messiah. But Peter wasn’t instantly transformed. Like the rest of us, he was busy surviving and had serious doubts about any “calling” on his life to be an influencer for God.

So, Jesus went down to the seashore and climbed right into Peter’s boat (Luke 5:3). He made it clear by that symbolic move that he had chosen Peter as God’s vessel. He does this with each of us, meeting us where we are, letting us know He is with us, and showing us He has significant work for us to do. Sometimes that work is smiling at someone who looks stressed. At another time, it might be praying for someone driving erratically, rather than yelling at them.  Or it may be speaking the Word of God into someone’s moment and letting God’s Spirit transform them.

When you received the Spirit of God, you were anointed, called, and empowered to make a difference in this world. Watch and listen for opportunities to do that today.