October 13: Balm in Gilead - Part 1

Balm in Gilead

Part 1: There Is Healing

Key Text: “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3, KJV

Sharon Campbell-Danvers 
Kings Seventh-day Adventist Church 

“There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole.”

Some wounds are visible. Others are carried quietly in places no one else can see.

Life can wound us through disappointment, rejection, grief, broken relationships, betrayal, mistakes and experiences we wish we could forget. Sometimes the wound happened years ago, yet the pain still shows up in the way we think, respond, trust and relate to others.

We can become very good at functioning while still hurting.

We smile.

We work.

We worship.

We care for others.

Yet beneath the surface, there may still be a place that aches.

But this hymn reminds us that there is healing.

In Jeremiah 8:22, the prophet asks, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?” The spiritual answers that question with hope.

There is a Balm.

There is a Physician.

There is One who can heal.

Jesus does not simply see the wound. He sees the person carrying it.

He knows where it hurts.

He understands what happened.

He knows the tears that were never seen, the questions that were never answered and the pain we could not find words to explain.

And He is able to reach places in us that no human hand can touch.

Sometimes we want healing to mean that we will forget what happened. But healing does not always erase the memory. Sometimes healing means the memory no longer has the same power over us.

The wound may be part of our story, but it does not have to control our future.

Healing also does not always happen instantly. Sometimes it is a process of allowing Jesus into places we have guarded for years. It may require honesty, surrender, forgiveness, patience and the courage to admit that we are still hurting.

But we can be assured of this:

No wound is too deep for His grace.

No heart is too broken for His touch.

No past is beyond His ability to redeem.

Perhaps there is something you have carried for so long that you have stopped believing it can ever change.

Bring it to Jesus again.

The same God who heals the brokenhearted is still able to bind up wounds today.

There is still a Balm in Gilead.

And there is still healing for you.

Reflection Questions

What wound have I been carrying that I need to place before Jesus?

Have I learned to live with pain that God may be inviting me to surrender?

Am I willing to trust that healing can take place, even if it comes gradually?

Statement

My wounds do not have the final word. Jesus sees my pain, understands my heart and is able to heal what has been broken. I will not lose hope. There is still a Balm in Gilead.

Prayer

Jesus, You know every wounded place in me. Bring healing where I hurt, restore what has been broken and help me trust Your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Copyright Notice

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), unless otherwise indicated. Brief hymn excerpts are included for devotional reflection. “There Is a Balm in Gilead” is a traditional African American spiritual in the public domain.