How to Use Essential Oils for Prayer

All of Life Can Be Intercession to God

It’s such an honor to guest post today for my husband, Kevin. Several of you have read my book, Creative Intercession that Kevin has mentioned here. Today, I want to introduce you to another creative way of connecting with God: how to use essential oils for prayer.

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In my book I write about how you can use all of your life as intercession to God. Just as fasting and neglecting food can have spiritual implications, so also dance, laughter, acts of service and anything else you take before God can be an act of intercession. This view has added so much joy and purpose to Kevin’s and my adventures with God.

Being Good Stewards of God’s Temple

For the last few years, our family has been on a wellness journey eating better and removing medicine and many processed foods from our diets. For us, paying attention to what we put in our bodies has made us physically healthier and more alert mentally. One application to knowing our bodies are temples is being good stewards of that temple, so we have the energy and strength to be ready for whatever God calls us toward. One major element to this healthier lifestyle has been using essential oils.

As we read the Bible, we will begin to notice that in their era, medicines, religious ceremonies, beauty regimens, and prayer were often accompanied by anointing oils, balms, resins, and extracts. The wise men bring baby Jesus frankincense and myrrh. These were not necessarily essential oils as that technology for making them is newer, but there are definite similarities that can be drawn from what they used in the Bible to today’s essential oils.

• Check out this article which goes into much more detail about essential oils in the Bible.

Essential Oils Have Helped Me

With this information as a backdrop, and as my family sought healthier ways of life through diet and exercise the last few years, I learned more and more about how conventional medicine damages our bodies. So I began learning about essential oils, their Biblical history, and how they are actually really effective. At first I doubted, but after using them for years now, I can honestly say that they work!

I used to regularly take sleeping medicine to help me sleep, which can be addictive and creates a need for greater dosages as your body gets used to it. For the last two years, I used lavender to help me sleep, and I now sleep well and don’t wake up groggy. I used to use Tylenol for headaches, which is known to have negative side effects for the liver and kidneys. Now I use either peppermint or helichrysum, and the pain often quickly goes away.

I’m not a doctor; I am only sharing what has worked for me. The thing is that since I am feeling better, I am more alert in my morning times with God and have more energy to give to others. And knowing that oils are made from ingredients God made (leaves, branches, bark, flowers), not some chemical compound, feels good. They are natural and a way to receive healing from God without harsh side effects to our internal organs like most medicines have over time.

Essential Oils for Prayer

Health and wellness is what brought us to essential oils, and since they have worked so well, now we are starting to explore other common uses for them, namely prayer. Using essential oils for prayer is a great way to mix up and supplement your connection time with God. There are a few ways that you can use essential oils, but for now we will focus on diffusing them and using them topically. (For more information, you can read my article here about how to use essential oils.)

For topical use, just add essential oils to a carrier oil like jojoba or olive oil. You can place these things into a small glass roller bottle. A good ratio is about 12 drops of essential oil to one ounce of carrier oil. You can roll it behind your ears or on your wrists. If you have a diffuser, you can place 3-10 drops in your diffuser with water. It’s up to you what scents you like and how strong you like the smell.

Essentials Oils That Can Help Your Prayers

Below is a list of different essential oils and suggested benefits of them. If your uncertainty of the effects will distract you, don’t add them to your prayer habits. When I first started, I just enjoyed the scents like I would have with candles or air fresheners. At the time, the benefits of essential oils were that I knew they were not some chemically made smells but from things that could be found organically. This allowed the oils to stay in a place of connection with God instead of distraction.

You don’t have to use all of these oils, but here are some suggestions of essential oils you can try:

Frankincense

Frankincense is probably the best-known essential oil in relation to being found in the Bible. It can be expensive, but people swear by it for many different benefits. For your prayer times, frankincense has anti-depressive qualities and a mindfulness trigger, which can help you become more spiritually open and move you toward clarity of mind.

Melissa (or Lemon Balm Oil)

Melissa oil can restore clarity, it helps people feel uplifted, can help you overcome what is holding you back, and has many other health benefits.

Clary Sage

Clary Sage has a unique smell, which many people don’t like, but it is suggested to help to give you new ideas, perception, and creativity. It can assist your mind in getting around roadblocks as well. It helps to eliminate distractions from the mind and can assist in visualizing.

Sandalwood

Sandalwood has been used with prayer, meditation, and worship since ancient times. It is said to still the mind, calm the heart, and prepare people to encounter God.

Wild Orange

Wild orange helps to boost mood and concentration. It can inspire abundance, creativity and positivity. It also claims to increase joy and fun.

Our family has been blessed so much by essential oils. If you think it over, pray about it and feel oils are right for you, please message me at my healthy living website. I am happy to answer any questions you have!