An Ointment for Our Anxiousness

“You anoint my head with oil” 

(Psalm 23:5)

There is a sound that can simultaneously make me squirm in discomfort and boil with frustration. It’s the shrill buzz of mosquito wings when I’m trying to drift off to sleep. It amazes me how something that small and nearly inaudible can be so deafening. It would be easier to fall asleep next to train tracks than to drift off to sleep when one of those blood suckers is dive-bombing me in the darkness, threatening to leave itchy little reminders of its nocturnal attacks. When I hear that high pitched buzz, I can forget about resting peacefully until the mosquito is resting in pieces!

This is yet another thing you and I have in common with sheep. They, too, hate the sound of the little pests that attack without remorse. It doesn’t matter how green the pasture they are in, how rich the fodder they’re surrounded by, or how big the rod their shepherd carries; to misquote a song lyric, “Ain’t no sunshine ‘til they’re gone, and there’s no rest ‘til they go away.”

It’s not just because the sound of their wings is like nails on a chalkboard. For sheep, the flying parasites pose a real danger. They love to lay their eggs in the sheep’s nose and ear cavities. And when those eggs hatch, the larva can burrow into their brains and inflict all kinds of damage and distress. Sometimes, sheep who are suffering from a larval infection will ram their heads incessantly into trees or rocks; some sheep have been driven to their death, falling from cliffs in their futile efforts to escape their internal torment.

In the same way, during this season of self-isolation the air has been full of pesky issues that not only distract us from resting, but endanger our health. News articles and graphs of the ever-increasing numbers of infected and dead swarm our televisions and our social media feeds. We can’t get away from them. Add in the growing number of unemployed, the lack of basic necessities and personal protective equipment, the closure of the places we normally frequent, and the lack of physical touch, and we’ve got ourselves a real swarm of issues that are flying around our homes and threatening to steal our ability to rest.

However, the real danger these issues pose isn’t the distractions that they cause; the real danger lies in the thoughts they implant in our minds that end up hatching all sorts of parasitic things: already two friends have been hospitalized for what they thought was a heart attack, only to learn that their chest pains were anxiety related, due to prolonged distress. I’ve spoken with a number of people who are experiencing deep sorrow at the loss of the life we knew before. And now we’re hearing reports that domestic violence, depression and suicide rates are on the rise. Truly, the pests are more than a nuisance; they are downright dangerous to our well-being. But what’s the solution?

In David’s day, when a shepherd recognized that the sheep were being antagonized by bugs, he would pour oil over the sheep’s head, making sure to get it into the ears and nose. The oil would both fend off insects and sooth the itching. Shepherds continue doing this to this day, regularly running their flocks through a “sheep dip” that coats their entire bodies in a concoction that repels insects.

In A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller explains the effect this anointing has on the sheep: “Once the oil had been applied to the sheep’s head, there was an immediate change in behavior. Gone was the aggravation, gone the frenzy, gone the irritability and the restlessness. Instead, the sheep would start to feed quietly again, then soon lie down in peaceful contentment. “

That’s what we need: an ointment for the swarming troubles that pester us, for the thoughts that buzz around our mind and keep us up at night. But what can we use to fend them off? Some of us have our own remedies we run to in order to try and dull the aggravation. We may turn to alcohol, snacking, busyness, television, social media, or anything else we think can dull the discomfort and drown out the noise in our heads. But those solutions merely numb the pain, they don’t address the underlying issues.

What we need is an ointment that can truly repel the parasitic fears and begin to heal the mental and emotional damage they’ve inflicted. And this is where time with our shepherd comes in. There’s a reason why we pastors are always encouraging people to spend time with God, to meditate on scripture, and to pray. At the risk of sounding trite, these quiet times are a tried and true remedy for whatever aggravations the day holds in store for us.

I can tell a difference in the way I respond to disruptions and frustrations when I’ve spent time with God. There’s something so soothing about it, as if it helps me be more flexible and tolerant of the unexpected curveballs life throws at me. When I don’t get that time, I find myself being a little more impatient, a little more intolerant and a little more self-centered.

One of the reason’s I’ve invested so much effort into writing these devotionals lately is because they are like a daily anointing during a season when questions, fears and interruptions are swarming. However, these posts are a lousy substitute for time spent with God, meditating on His word and in prayer.  If you have to pick only one, please disregard my posts and open your Bibles. But my hope is that they’re like an appetizer that whets your appetite and compels you to draw near to your Shepherd so that He can care for your needs and prepare you to face the day.

I'm grateful to be on this journey with you,
Pastor Eric