Anointed Places

There is no more exciting time of the work day than coming into a dark empty office.  I’m usually one of the first people in.  I ease into turning on the lights so my uncaffeinated body can get used to the brightness.

One of my favorite things to do in the dark a few years ago was go into my co-worker’s office.  She was going through a particularly rough season.  I’d venture my way into her dark office with my Bible in hand and open to a particular passage.  Day-in and day-out I spoke Truth over her office until I saw the fruits of my prayers.

I hadn’t thought much of that season since.  It’s been a few years.  But a few months ago, we played musical chairs around the office….and I got moved into the office I prayed over.

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Again, I really didn’t think much of it.  It was weird to be in that office because it had memories from my early days of training.  But I got over my imposter syndrome and hung up my decor and motivational posters.

Many of you know the work I put in (and quite frankly the Hell I went through) to get the position that warranted my new office, so I won’t bore you with the details [here is a little backstory for those who need it].  I’ve been hearing so much lately about the joy I have cultivated in my life recently.  I see it….and I feel it.  But I can’t honestly tell you much about it except that I know it’s from Jesus.

Until….until I realized that for a year I prayed.  For a year, I opened my Bible and read from the Truth over the very office I sit in every day.  I realized my past obedience directly impacted the current joy.

For nearly a year, I prayed this over my office:

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,[j] including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. 

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 8:18-39

Let me highlight a few things here:

1 - Our suffering now is nothing compared to His glory later.

My past suffering was overpowering some days, but His glory now is so much more overpowering

2 - And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

In my darkest (weakest) days the Holy Spirit got me to where I am today.  When I thought I was going to fall completely apart, He made me whole.

3 - And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God…

All of it….all the late nights, all the suffering, all the heartbreak….all of it has been used by God for good.  He’s used my broken story to tell His story.

4 - ...despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Chris, who loved us.

Despite all the things - anxiety, depression, anger - overwhelming victory is mine.  Not just some regular victory...not just winning a preseason game kind of victory.  No, this victory is like the Bengals winning the Superbowl victory.  It’s an unbelievable type of victory! (Who Dey!!).

5 - And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love...neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

I feel I little like Samuel….blindly walking up to Jesse’s house to anoint the future king.  He didn’t anoint David for the here and now.  He anointed him for “one day” in the future.  But Samuel went anyway.  It seemed crazy and kinda weird.

I know I was “caught” in the dark of this office.  I know people saw me with my head pouring over the words of “some book” in my hand.  People probably wondered…..heck, some days I even wondered.  It seemed crazy and VERY weird, honestly.  But that obedience prepared this anointed place.