Is There a Balm in Gilead?

It seems that my reflections from this trip have an overwhelming sense of brokenness and sadness.  The history of the church is not exempt from pain and suffering, just as people today are not exempt from pain and suffering.  It is easy to get discouraged in a ministry of healing when there is so much brokenness seeking healing.  So many are asking, "is hope and healing even available to me?".  Even the prophet Jeremiah pondered this question when he asked if there was no balm in Gilead to heal his people.  Maybe not using these same words, but we have all asked this question at some time in our life.  We have each experienced in our own story a sense of hurt and lament.   We cry out and ask in our own way, is there a balm in Gilead available to us today?  We seek God amidst the turmoil, tragedy, loss, sickness, sadness, war and discouragement.  We cry out and lament in new ways today for our families, our churches, and our world.

And yet, the song of the same title, “There is A Balm in Gilead” has captured so very much hope for me since returning home.  The phrase “There is A Balm in Gilead” was part of my classmate Amanda’s message based on John Wesley’s sermon, “Inefficiency”.  Amanda encouraged us to receive God's balm and then see and offer ourselves to others.  We are also to share the balm in Gilead.  There is hope for healing because we have God's balm offer.   


At the conclusion of Amanda's sermon, we were led to sing this spiritual hymn together.  The words were comforting amidst the discomforts of life.  As we reflect on this story from the book of Jeremiah as God’s people seeking His balm of healing, we must have hope that the story of the New Testament delivered that healing for us and is indeed still very real today.  We have received the only balm of healing we will ever need.

When we are asked in so many words, “Is there a Balm in Gilead”?  Indeed there is!  YES!  There is healing and hope.  It is available to us through the story of our savior, Jesus Christ.  We are now called to share that balm through our love, our actions and our life. I believe the words of this hymn that has been sung by many before us seeking healing and wholeness speaks great truth and gives us hope.  We are called to share the truth that Christ died for each of us to experience healing and wholeness through the ultimate sacrifice, his body and blood.  We are called to seek and share this balm of healing as God’s people.  And, when we just cannot see God’s presence amongst our own troubles, we can look back to the hymns of early Christians as reminders for the hope and healing that is still available to each of us today.

There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin sick soul.

Some times I feel discouraged,
And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again.

Don’t ever feel discouraged,
for Jesus is your friend,
and if you look for knowledge,
he’ll ne’er refuse to lend.

If you can’t preach like Peter,
If you can’t pray like Paul,
Just tell the love of Jesus,
And say He died for all.

“There is a Balm in Gilead”
Afro-American Spiritual

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