The Tree Anointing

Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overcome me. (Song of Songs 6: 5a)

When the Awakening began in the midst of the IHOPU students, Jess and Alice once told me that they had “the tree anointing”. That was news to me. People under the influence of the Holy Spirit would laugh in joy, shake and quake, cry with convictions, get delivered and healed, speak in tongue, prophecy… then there is this tree anointing? They explain: We don’t move or do anything, but we just stand there like a tree. We call this the tree anointing. LOL!

Jess was praying over this decision for a ministry trip to meet with a lot of leaders in Taiwan about two weeks ago. This trip represented a great possible potential for him and IHOP-KC. One time three brothers (I was one of them) prophesied over him that he should “act” upon it and go. The ministry leader(s) over him recommended him to go. But he decided not to go. He explained: I did not feel anything on my heart, “flat line” (God usually gives him something if it is from Him), so I decided not to move this time. Wow, that impressed me. Under all these pressures, prophecies and possibilities, he was still a tree, unmovable and unshakable. Jess shared that one time Mike Bickle invited him to do something but he did not move upon it until God confirmed it Himself.

The Lover (Jesus) says to the maiden (the Bride of Christ) in Song 6, “Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overcome me.” What overcomes Jesus? The armies of hell could not. The splendid temple of Jerusalem could not. The gathering of thousands could not. What can possibly overcome Jesus? It is our devotional gaze in times of trials and difficulties. He called them in the Song of Songs the gazes of our “dove eyes”. Those looks overcome Jesus. Doves only mate once in their lifetime. In the same way, our eyes are called “dove eyes” when we only have one lover in our life, which is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our eyes tell us what or who we love. Will a preaching assignment before thousands, a compensation of sizable amount, the invitations from famous leaders (think President), or maybe powerful manifestations during the meeting move our eyes? What will cause us to move? What will make our hearts tinkle? If any of those things moved Jesus, He would move away from His assignment of the cross. The cross was not popular, definitely not paying well, not approved by religious, political leaders and the worst of all, temporary withdrawal of God’s loving presence. But Jesus was focused.

I want the tree anointing. In the meetings, I will still manifest: shaking, quaking, and all other fun stuffs (branches dancing with the wind). But I want my roots to go down deep in His Word and the experiential knowledge of His love. These roots are far, far more important than those outward manifestations. Oh, I want to love Him the way that He loves me. With that single-minded devotion, may I ravish His heart as He has ravished mine.