The Annointing, cont.

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16 (NIV)

Today after church, Peanut was anointed with oil and prayed over by the elders of our church. Filbert and I sat on chairs in the middle of the room with Peanut on Filbert's lap. One of the associate pastors read Scripture and then spread oil on Peanut's forehead in the shape of a cross. One by one the men who were gathered around us began to pray. We had given them an update on Peanut's progress and our concerns at the beginning so they knew our particular requests for this occasion. They did not limit themselves, though, to just what we asked. What a blessing it was to hear these men ask on our behalf what we didn't even know we needed. Peanut's grandparents were all able to be there and listened in with great emotion.