Touchpoints

Peace Of Mind

by Dana Huffman

Has a simple little thought ever threatened your peace of mind? Have you ever felt like if that thought burrows in and takes hold in your mind you just might go crazy? Psalm 23 speaks to just such a situation. It reminds us that we are in the care of a Good Shepherd. And that Good Shepherd "anoints our heads with oil."

Phillip Keller sheds light on what this means in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Keller, once a shepherd himself, tells how flies are a threat to sheep. If nose flies gain entrance to a sheep's nasal cavity they can lay eggs. Those eggs become larva. And that larva can make its way up inside the sheep's head. If that happens a sheep may be seen beating its head against a tree for relief. Keller says that a good shepherd will apply oil to a sheep's head in order to prevent such an awful cycle. He says this "anointing" makes a big difference in the sheep's life. It allows it to graze peacefully and rest unthreatened.

Are bothersome thoughts buzzing around you? Remember, your head is anointed and you're not going crazy.

"You anoint my head with oil." Psalm 23:5 NIV




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