"There is a balm in Gilead. To make the wounded whole. There is a balm in Gilead To heal the sin-sick soul." I recently was reminded of this sweet hymn by: 'N. Simone/Nina Simone'. Just three days past. I remember singing it as a little girl in the Lutheran Church that I grew up in. But I had not thought of it for a very long time. As I entered the warmth of the sun to sit at my patio table, I had a strong desire to learn more of this, 'Balm of Gilead', and the scriptures behind it.
Apparently, I never grasped the fullness of the story. In, Jeremiah 8:21-22, Jeremiah is found crying out to God in great anguish of the destruction of the people of Judah, a result from turning their faces from God. They corrupted their hearts, souls, and very lives with everything that stood against their True and Righteous God. Yet Jeremiah cries out, "Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?" Do you not feel his despair? Even now as I again read this, tears fall. My heart aches. I can feel his anguish as he mourns for his people.
Is that not how we ought to be for our fellow man? For our friends, relatives, and neighbors who struggle so. So many sick and weary souls that are in need of a comforter. Won't you reach out your hand? Can you not feel their pain? I do. I see it in their eyes. I hear it when their voice. I feel it upon my knees. Or, are you the one in need of a physician? Do you have a festering sore of worry, anxiety, depression, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, sin, grief, the list goes on? The time has come to clean out those wounds. You may not be able to control the life-disrupting things that surround you daily, but by golly, you can control what is inside by, REPENTING and turning away. RECEIVE His Mercy and Grace. RESIST the devil and he will flee from you. And, WALK it OUT!
Later in the book of Jeremiah, God in His infinite Mercy saved and brought restoration back to His people. Just as the Lord continues to do so today. So, "If you can pray like Peter. If you can preach like Paul. Go home and tell your loved ones, He died to save us all." And if you cannot pray as Peter or preach like Paul, that does not matter at all. Just give them love, be a friend. The Love of the Lord will take over and meet you both in the end.
