God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38
In winter, especially, I take a lot of vitamins and natural supplements to ward off all the illnesses that float around. It doesn’t always work, of course. Sometimes I get sick too. But I’ve had great success with things like zinc, goldenseal, echinacea, astragalus, etc. And if you can find one pill that has all of those, it may smell like stove top stuffing (mine does), but you’ve got a winner!
I recently bought some balm of Gilead. Yes! I doubt it’s exactly the same as what they had in ancient times, but it’s made from the buds of a certain poplar tree which is common to the region of Gilead in the modern-day country of Jordan. Balm of Gilead is a natural remedy that has long been known for its healing properties.
Unfortunately, as the prophet Jeremiah pointed out, there’s no medicinal cure for the disease of sinfulness.
Go up to Gilead, and take balm,
O virgin daughter of Egypt!
In vain you have used many medicines;
there is no healing for you.
Jeremiah 46:11 ESV
And Egypt wasn’t the only one. Jeremiah 8:22 (ESV) refers to a spiritual wound that the nation of Judah had brought on herself through sin.
Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has the health of the daughter of my people
not been restored?
Of course God was always right there ready to heal, but by the time the Babylonians came, there was no balm in Gilead, or anywhere else, that could help Judah. Generation after generation, God had given them opportunities to repent, but even God’s patience runs out eventually. If you haven’t come to Jesus for healing, don’t wait until it’s too late.
Jesus offers the only balm that can heal sin. (Acts 4:12)
He is also able to soothe away pain like no one else can.
Do we come to Jesus with our pain? Unfortunately we often turn to people and things other than Jesus; sometimes we turn away from the good remedies that he has provided, such as family, the church, and physical rest.
Sometimes we turn to illegal drugs. Or alcohol. Or pornography.
Sometimes we immerse ourselves in things that are not sinful, like food, entertainment, or work. These things can be helpful as short-term escapes that can re-set our hearts and minds. But they can also become unhealthy obsessions used to avoid dealing with the pain.
And when we don’t deal appropriately with our pain, we usually get caught up in sin, one way or the other.
Often I fall into the trap of thinking that because I’m hurting, I’m right. As the saying goes, “Hurt people hurt people.” And when we’re hurt— when we’re angry especially— we tend to feel justified in whatever we do.
But pain doesn’t justify sin. Feelings are important but they mustn’t be our masters. They can lead us astray; most feelings point us only to ourselves.
“Living for our own interests simply does not seem wrong when we feel alone and wounded. Our struggles in life can make self-centeredness appear not only reasonable, but also right,” (Men and Women: Enjoying the Difference by Dr. Larry Crabbe, p. 81).
It seems everyone is looking for pain relief— relief from emotional injuries and from spiritual wounds. We hate pain. But I once heard this prayer in an interview on Focus on the Family: “Lord, help me to hate my sin more than I hate my pain.”
The fact is, pain serves an important purpose. It can be an indicator that something is wrong and needs healing. Pain can even signal that healing has begun, such as with physical therapy or an itchy scab. But what happens if you don’t do your therapy or you pull off a scab too soon? You hinder the progress of healing.
Pills and supplements and balms may or may not help us when we get sick. But there is certainly no pill that can fix a broken heart or a life overwhelmed by sin.
If we will just allow our pain to push us into the arms of Jesus. There IS a balm in Gilead.
Dear Heavenly Father, in moments of pain, whether from sorrow, anger, wounded feelings, or the sting of my own sin, I pray that the Holy Spirit would remind me again to turn to You for healing. Forgive me for the times I have let my pain become an excuse for sin. I come to You, the God of all comfort, and I beg for Your healing mercies. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
by Christie Cole Atkins
Reference:
Crabbe, Larry. Men & Women, Enjoying the Difference. Zondervan, 1993.
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