Is There No Balm in Gilead?, January 6
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by David Gira
“Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” (Jeremiah 8:22 NIV)
Opportunities for physical healing surround those facing cancer: top-rated oncologists, world-renowned cancer centers, and many options for treatment. With so much attention on physical healing, we may miss the most important healing—our spiritual healing.
In the Old Testament, Gilead was the name of the mountainous region east of the Jordan River. Gilead was known for its skillful physicians and a healing balm, an ointment made from the gum of a tree particular to that area. Many believed this balm had miraculous powers to heal the body.
Tragically, and ironically, God’s people living in and around these mountains of medicine were deeply sick. Not just physically sick, but sin-sick. They refused to follow God’s commands and worshipped other gods.
Jeremiah warned the people. Their lives had already been reduced to rubble. A powerful foreign army would soon invade and destroy their land. Many would be killed or exiled.
Jeremiah lamented and wept over their sin and dreadful fate. He held up the balm as a reminder of God’s steadfast love, forgiveness, and healing. God alone is the Great Physician and provides the medicine needed.
In our verse for today Jeremiah asks rhetorically, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” If they would turn back to God, be sorry for their sin, and follow Him, God would restore them to true health and wholeness.
After my diagnosis, I cried out to God for healing. I heard Jesus respond, “I am going to heal your cancer. I am also going to heal many other broken parts of your life.” His Holy Spirit revealed many things in me that needed healing—doubts, fears, anger, selfishness, relationships, and more.
By the grace of God, I began to physically heal. As I did, I experienced profound healing in many other facets of my life. Each was like an edge of a diamond. Together, God’s healing work sparkled gloriously. When doctors gave me my first cancer-free report two years after my initial diagnosis, it was hard to determine which facet was the most miraculous!
The famous 18th century African American spiritual put Jeremiah’s words into a song:
There is a balm in Gilead,
To make the wounded whole.
There's power enough in heaven,
To cure a sin-sick soul.
The first people to sing these words did so while experiencing the horrors of slavery. They were taken against their will, physically and mentally abused, whipped with rawhide, and forced to work in terrible conditions.
Despite this misery and injustice, they continued to trust God. They remembered how God had delivered His people from Egyptian slavery long ago. They trusted God would hear their prayers, see their suffering, and set them free. With faith, they could sing, there is a balm in Gilead!
The suffering we experience in our cancer journey is very different from the Israelites’ suffering as slaves. We can, however, have the same kind of faith. No matter how much you may be suffering, there is a balm in Gilead.
Pray: Oh God, I cry out for the healing balm of Gilead. I do earnestly desire Your physical healing, and I trust You are able. In this cancer season, bring Your healing into every broken part of my life. Amen.
Your Turn: Listen to “Run to The Father” by Cody Carnes. Reflect on its message of coming to God and finding the healing we need. What healing have you already experienced? What do you desire? Are there new opportunities for healing that you are beginning to discern?
David Gira, Jr.
Michael David Gira, Jr., Cancer Survivor
David was an ordained United Methodist Pastor and graduate of Duke Divinity School. He and his wife, Amy, lived in Raleigh, North Carolina with their three children. In 2017 he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. In his book, How Cancer Cured Me, he shares many ways he experienced God’s healing. After a 7 year battle with cancer, David is now joyously singing praises in God’s glorious throne room. His legacy lives on through his writing for Cancer Companions, as he continues to proclaim Christ’s hope and healing power to others experiencing cancer. https://www.davidgira.com/how-cancer-cured-me
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
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