A Well-Oiled Machine!

by Donnie Bostwick

November 30, 2022

1186

How many of you are religious about changing the oil in your car? You love what you drive so much, because it cost you a ton of money, that you treat it better than your wife and kids when it comes to taking the time to keep it as clean on the inside as you do on the out. I have heard coaches say how they love when their teams are functioning like a well oiled machine.

This made me think of a meme I saw the other day that showed how the poor tend to live in an old trailer, but drive a car that cost more than their home. They find the time and money to change the oil in their car, but often struggle with other things.

What is oil anyway? Just the most valuable thing on earth. It controls the world. Nations go to war and rise and fall based on it.

Yesterday, I decided to do my duty and change the oil in my old fishing truck that now has 236,000 miles on the odometer. I usually change it myself. I keep high mileage synthetic oil in it, I even add a quart of oil additive that says it will take special care of my engine.

Why am I telling you all of this? Read on.

Letting lazy get the best of me, I decided to take my truck to Walmart to change the oil this time. I have nothing against Walmart, but they have broken my dipstick off in my engine on a previous occasion. Just saying!

Time usually stands still as you can pretty much venture through the entire store by the time your oil gets changed. However, this time there was not a single car in the garage. I had hope that it might take under two hours. Then when within five minutes

they called my name over the intercom, I thought it was a holiday miracle. I head up to the register to pay and the gentleman hands me my key and says, “We can’t get your oil filter off, sorry buddy.” I said, “What?”. He says, “That sucker is on their pal, good luck getting it off.”

I was really hoping to get a few hours fishing in before a cold front came in. Coming off a big road win, I was needing a little peace with a fishing pole in my hand and was going to reward myself before preparing for our next game.

Did I mention that my oil change was way past due? I was trying to make myself believe the logic of synthetic oil last up to 10,000 miles, but after checking my oil, I saw it was black as black can get and I knew it needed to be changed.

Whoever designed the 2000 F150 4 wheel drive Ford V8 Triton Engine was either off their game that day or evil when it comes to their placement of the oil filter. It is located under the truck at arms length barely accessible up in the middle of the engine. It took me over five hours and five different tools to finally break it loose.

At that point, I knew my fishing dream was gone. I had oil everywhere. I was officially a grease monkey, a term we used as a kid for a shade tree mechanic. Oil had combined with dirt and was now falling in my eyes every time I tried to break the filter loose. I had busted my knuckle twenty-five or more times as my tools would slip off when trying to break loose the filter. The filter is in such a tight spot that you can’t easily get a tool on it or any leverage to break it loose. After breaking one filter changing tool, trying a rope, and even two trips to AutoZone buying new tools, I was losing hope and gaining anger.

For almost half a day, I had done all I could to stay positive and spend the time praising God instead of getting upset even when busting my knuckles. I finally came to the end of my rope. My hands and arms were exhausted. I had googled everything I could find on how to solve my problem. I finally said, “Lord I need your help”. Instead of looking at another YouTube clip on how to solve my problem, I put one of my favorite worship songs to listen to.

Lying there on my driveway looking up at the blue sky through the falling leaves, I said one more quick prayer before climbing back under my truck. I had already tried exactly what I was fixing to try a hundred times already, but something inside me said “try again”.

I promise you this is the truth, this time was different even before I climbed back under the truck. I had given the outcome a hundred percent to God.

Singing loudly the worship song I had put on my phone, I reached up and placed the socket and tool on the oil filter. To my amazement it didn’t slip off this time. I could only get two fingers on the ratchet to attempt breaking it loose. That would have to be enough! Miraculously, I mean miraculously, the filter broke loose and budged. I knew I had just felt and experienced a powerful touch of God. No way two fingers provided enough strength to break the filter loose.

The feeling that came over my entire body and soul can’t be fairly put into words. I climbed out from under my truck and lying on my back, I looked up into the heavens and sang as loud as I could the worship song to my Father. Yea I did a little dance after I stood up as well and I could have cared less who saw me.

The only thing worse than not changing your oil, is to drive a truck with no oil.

The oil mentioned in the Bible represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit. (1 John 2:26-27)

Jesus was often referred to as the Anointed One, using oil as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit being present and acting in Christ. In Luke 4:18, Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor …”

Why do so many try to function without Jesus through the Holy Spirit in them? Epic failure is the only result awaiting this plan. The Bible refers to it as Hell, a lake of fire.

Why do those who have accepted Jesus and the Holy Spirit into their lives not seek to refresh their oil with a fresh anointing regularly?

Oil is referred to often in the Bible.

My first thought of oil is of the parable of the virgin brides in Matthew 25 that are told to keep oil in their lamps to stay at all times ready for the moment their groom returns.

New Testament parables use oil as a symbol of both healing and light. Oil is what was used to anoint and consecrate the Messiah, He for whom our hearts continuously hope. Therefore, oil is the symbol of very deep and very personal gestures. It is a critical part of achieving an intimate relationship with our Savior!

Jesus tells the parable of the lamp on the stand to encourage his followers to stand out, to be an example and not to hide away. The message in this parable would have been challenging for the first Christians, who were cruelly persecuted.

The primary purpose of anointing with the holy anointing oil was to sanctify, to set the anointed person or object apart as qodesh, or “holy” (Exodus 30:29). Originally, the oil was used exclusively for the priests and the Tabernacle articles, but its use was later extended to include kings (1 Samuel 10:1).

I have to add a little laugh for you husbands. I had to call my wife at one point to come and take me to the parts store. On the way she says, “Why don’t you just spray a little WD-40 on it. It always works for me.” I said to her, “Do you have any idea where the oil filter is located that I am trying to get to?”. I had actually tried spraying some WD-40 on it earlier. When I had my wife proof this story, she says, “I told you the WD-40 would work.”

I hope this has spurred your interest in studying more about oil and what God has to say about it in our spiritual walk with Him? For a more detailed study on the oil in the Bible, here is an additional link to check out.