Well, anointing serves three distinct purposes: it is regarded as a means of health and comfort, as a token of honor, and as a symbol of consecration.
The holy anointing oil is an integral part of the priesthood. According to Scripture all Christians have been annoyed with the Holy Ghost and our part of this royal priesthood. According to Exodus 30:26 Oil was used to concentrate the leader for God‘s work and it was also Play stolen items to separate them and make them holy. Therefore, the purpose of anointing with the holy oil was to sanctify, to set the anointed person, or object apart as “holy” (Exodus 30:29).
In our Christian tradition we will leave that the prayer of a righteous man avail of much (James 5:26), that where two or three gathered in his name call when he is in the mist (Matthew 18:20), and anointing oil is used accordance to the following scripture:
“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”— James 5:13,14 (KJV)
This message is one of honor and blessing. It is an actual promise to God’s people. Are you having troubles? You should pray. Are you happy? You should sing. Are you sick? Ask the elders of the church to come and rub oil on you in the name of the Lord and pray for you. If such a prayer is offered in faith, it will heal anyone who is sick. The Lord will heal them. And if they have sinned, He will forgive them. So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen.”
In concluding his letter, James encourages his readers to respond to all of the circumstance of their lives with prayer. That’s what people who trust God do. This is a consistent theme of James’s letter: a person’s actions prove what they really believe.
James 5:13–20 closes out the letter by encouraging those who believe in God to show it. This is most readily shown by praying in response to every circumstance. We should pray for ourselves, praise God, and invite the spiritual leaders of our churches to pray for us when we are sick, or spiritually weak. Healing will follow; sins will be forgiven. We should confess sins to each other so we can pray for strength for each other to overcome sin. Prayer works; God hears and responds. If we really believe this is true, our behavior will reflect it.
Where does the anointed Prayer Shawl come into play?
The prayer shawl is also used as the prayer cloth was because, are sacramentally used by Christians. They are a continuation with the practice of the early Church. Christians, prayer cloths/prayer shawls are blessed and then placed on an afflicted area, while believers pray to God through the intercession. Furthermore, the prayer shawls are Blessed as/after they are completed. The recipient recipient is wrapped in in the prayers. The shawls/cloths cost nothing but they do accept donations.
