Hi, this is Joni, and just listen to the words of this beautiful old spiritual…
(Joni sings:)
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul
Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work’s in vain
But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.
Okay, I realize you may not know that hymn; it is going back a-ways, but I always turn to it (I always find myself singing it) whenever I’m hurting, whenever I can’t get relief. It’s a little like that man in the television commercial rubbing his forehead in anguish and he always asks, “Is there no relief?!” It’s awful to be in pain and not be able to get help, not find an aspirin strong enough to do the trick. I have a friend who struggles with migraines and, oh, my heart goes out to him: is there no relief?
Now, you don’t have to have migraines, you’ve got your own set of headaches, right? And often you might wonder the same. When hardships hit you broadside, when pain settles in, you can’t help but cry for relief.
And that’s what this hymn called “Balm in Gilead” is all about. Actually, it comes from the words of the prophet Jeremiah. He lived during the horror of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem. What a terrible time that was, and so Jeremiah stands on a hill outside of the city and looks toward the east, toward Gilead – a land that was famous for producing medicinal balms to heal wounds – and he cries out (and that cry is recorded in Jeremiah 8), “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician over there?” It was kind of like saying, “Don’t they make an ointment in Gilead strong enough to help us over here? Is there no cure, is there no relief, even in a place like Gilead?!”
Well, we know the answer. We know where to find relief for where it hurts way down deep. For out of Palestine, there did come a cure, an ointment to soothe the wounded, a salve to ease the pain. It was the great Comforter, the great Physician, Jesus. He said in Matthew 9, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick… for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” You know, friend, don’t you agree we experience relief the fastest when we realize how sick our souls really are? So don’t be thinking you’re healthy today and have got it all together. Be quick to recognize that you need what Jesus gives – and that is himself. Jesus helps the hurt.
In John 4 Jesus becomes the living water when you are thirsty. He becomes the bread of life when you are hungry. I can answer Jeremiah’s question. There is a balm in Gilead – it’s Jesus, and he heals your soul.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends