Is There No Balm in Gilead?

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Jesus Promises an Advocate

Jeremiah 8:18-22  The Message

^18-22 I drown in grief.
    I’m heartsick.
Oh, listen! Please listen! It’s the cry of my dear people
    reverberating through the country.
Is God no longer in Zion?
    Has the King gone away?
Can you tell me why they flaunt their plaything-gods,
    their silly, imported no-gods before me?
The crops are in, the summer is over,
    but for us nothing’s changed.
    We’re still waiting to be rescued.
For my dear broken people, I’m heartbroken.
    I weep, seized by grief.
Are there no healing ointments in Gilead?
    Isn’t there a doctor in the house?
So why can’t something be done
    to heal and save my dear, dear people?

 

For Reflection

 Have you ever been deceived by your confidence and sense of security that you thought would result in a peaceful unchallenged existence? 

These People of God were so confident in God's protection that they began to take God's promise for granted.  They turned away from God thinking that the pressures they faced should have been resolved by God.  They were sure they were abandoned.  And so Jeremiah laments and the people could not see the solution, simply a return to God.

Pray

for all who think God has abandoned them. Pray that they will be able to find their way back to the living
God.