by Leigh Moran

A-L-Stellhorn@msn.com

“I weep for the hurt of my people; I stand amazed, silent, dumb with grief. Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why doesn’t God do something? Why doesn’t he help?” Jeremiah 8:21-22 (Application Bible)

I FELT THE BALM OF GILEAD

Praise the Lord, I am healed! Yes, indeed, my results of Oct 21st showed my heart had remodeled and was no longer large, but nearly normal. My heart was nearly normal and this was after only 4 months on the medicine I am taking!

This, from what I can learn, is unusual, only 4 months, not a year, not 9 months, but 4 months!

I should have been rejoicing and joyously singing praises to God, but no, instead, I felt numb. After going through the time of grieving and accepting my condition, now I am healed? So very hard for a sinner like me to truly believe it to be so!

Many people have been praying for me, this I know and yet, I still had this darkness come over me. Well, I knew what this darkness was, it, again, was that “old man devil” trying to rain on my glory parade.

One of my online friends had written to me and mentioned the Balm of Gilead, I had not thought of that concerning me. Her mentioning this led me, over the past month to search for more information on the Balm of Gilead.

Jeremiah 8:22 says, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” (The Living Bible) 1. Balm of Gilead is the resinous, fragrant juice obtained from a small evergreen tree growing on the shores of the Red Sea. 2. The balsam fir. (Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary) Of course, a balm is anything that soothes.

Wanting to write about the Balm of Gilead has been hard for me; the words did not just happen to breeze into my mind and soul from the Holy Spirit.

THEN, tonight, I finally went to the church where my Dr. Dan is a member, to their healing prayer group. All along, they have been praying for me and I decided it was the time to go and give praises to God for my healing and to thank them all for their prayers.

As I waited to go to the prayer room, I sat and talked with a woman younger than me that had driven quite a distance to attend this prayer group. We exchanged our stories and she said something to me that made me think. Perhaps I needed some spiritual healing as well as physical healing. Good thought!

Soon it was time for me to go into the room and the folks were very welcoming and comforting. They asked me to speak and of course, I am not one to mince words, I just get right in there and go to town, so to speak. Of course, first on my mind is the Praises I give to God for my glorious healing and then thanking them all so very much. My story got a bit long I am afraid, however, I felt totally at ease and welcome.

Truly, words cannot describe my feelings as they listened to me and then responded. The “Balm of Gilead” flowed over me. As I felt their hands lay upon me and the many prayers being said I was taken away, (sorta like that old Calgon commercial…) “Calgon, take me away.” Oh, was I taken away! Taken away from old memories that want to destroy my peace, taken away from the day-to-day stress I have endured lately, taken away from that massive grayness of the evil one that harbors about me, taken away to God’s family of love, comfort, forgiveness and rejuvenation. One man asked if he could apologize for something another person, years ago, said that has affected me for a long time now. Another young man, I believe I could hear him speak of my compassionate heart. Oh how blessed I am this night of nights!

Finally, I have found a calling to join with this family and finally, I feel that the balm of healing has covered my deep spiritual wounds. Praise God, Praise God indeed!

Life continues and we all must endure the sharp arrows of the darkness that swirls about all of us. No, life is not a place where things remain constant. For you know what, if things remained constant and happy all the time we would be in Heaven. Man chose to fall, he chose to “bite the apple, and the apple bit back!" So, now we are this sin-filled family that continues to mess up. We continue to sin and then we just have to get back up and try again.

Over the years, I have had my differences with the church. Having experienced the slings and arrows some of us, who think we are better than others, has knocked me for a loop. It has because I never felt Jesus had any stigma about hanging with those folks who were, let’s say, down on their luck. I experienced too many of us who like to judge and let folks know what they should and should not do before understanding “why they do what they do.”

Believing that Jesus would rather sit at a table with lepers, druggies, alcoholics, and even murderers then Kings and Queens is my take on Him. I do not think for one minute that Jesus would not invite one of the worst sinners to dine with Him, He would. He would sit down among the pagan, the atheist, and the whoremonger, on and on and welcome them to His love and His home eternally, if only they would turn from their wrongful, sinful habits and sin no more. I believe, even if they fell short and sinned again, He would forgive, if only we sinners would ask and try again.

The above verse asks, “Why doesn’t God do something? Why doesn’t he help?” Jeremiah 8:22 God does do something, He does help. WE HAVE TO COME TO HIM AND ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS ASK!!!!!!

My prayer is that I walk with Jesus and offer my hand, heart, love and anything He wants me to offer to anyone He leads me to or I meet along this path of life.

Please join me, try so very hard to be as Jesus wants us to be and please let us all offer the Balm of Gilead to all those who are in need.

Love and
I remain His humble servant,

Copyright Leigh Moran