October 27, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Friday, October 27.
I love spirituals. I love their simplicity, their honesty. These American songs, created by the African American church before the Civil War, are filled with courage and inspiration. They often contain a touch of melancholy, but also a sense of hope. They are, in every sense of the word, songs of the heart.
Spirituals frequently take their inspiration from Old Testament stories of the struggles of the Israelite people - struggles for freedom, struggles for salvation. One of my favorite spirituals is based on Jeremiah 8:22. The prophet Jeremiah - the "weeping prophet" - is standing at the gate of the temple in Jerusalem delivering God's message to God's people.
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why, then, is there no healing for the wounds of My people?
Gilead was a mountainous region east of the Jordan River. It was known for the production of a perfume that was used as a medicine, a balm. Gilead was just a day's travel from where Jeremiah stood as he delivered these words. The remedy for the sufferings of God's people was so near - but they refused to accept it, refused to repent and turn back to God.
The African American songwriter chose to rephrase the words of Jeremiah - turning the plaintive question into a statement of confidence and hope.
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul
Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work's in vain
But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.
Meet you back here on Monday,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
