“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” (Psalm 37:1-3 NIV)
In spite of not spending a lot of time outside and in spite of using all the recommended lotions, and crèmes, including those with a touch of Vaseline, this year has been something else for me, when it comes to dry skin. Okay, do not respond and lecture me about diabetes, diet, or the need to drink more fluids. Don’t respond, please, by saying it is something that comes with age and then supplementing that with some adage that has been passed on for generations. I appreciate your help, but look now; I did what the young people advised, “If you want to know how to fix anything, go to the Internet. Although I would suggest the Word of God for mostly anything, I typed in the search bar the following question: “What causes your skin to be dry indoors during the winter?” This was the first response that appeared in response to my inquiry; but note, no source was given to validate its accuracy: “It’s that loss of moisture from upper layers of the skin that causes it to dry out. ” Winter air is often dry, and the air that comes out of indoor furnaces can be even worse. However, dry skin can make its mark at other times of the year, too.”
Okay I shared my story about dry skin, so now let’s turn our attention to spiritual dryness; something we all have to keep an eye out for these days. Turning our attention to spiritual dryness is appropriate because during this pandemic we have been physically alienated in many instances from members of the household of faith. We have been unable to enjoy face-to-face fellowship and denied the normal opportunities to be in the special presence of the saints and our Sovereign God. I am speaking of worship services where we are drenched, not just by spiritual things; living water, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the gathering of believers, and the preaching of the word of God that purifies us, refreshes us, comforts our beings and cleanses us. Yes, shut-in, sheltering in, and shutdowns have impacted many Christians. Oh, I know that does not include you! As we say in church service, “Ain’t I right about it?
However, you perhaps “know somebody” who is experiencing a degree of spiritual dryness that needs you to help them stay in connection with the Lord and for you to remind them that there is a balm in Gilead. In other words, there is spiritual medicine available through the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of you may be asking the question in the opening verse as it relates to someone else, not you of course, “Can these dry bones live?” The answer is yes! Just invite them to renew their experiences where they look to the help of the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost to remedy their dryness!
Did it sound like an assignment? Well if it you are really not the “somebody” mentioned above, I’m sure it did. But we have a responsibility to love our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, especially since we have passed from death to life ourselves. Ain’t I right? That’s from the Scriptures so the answer again is, “Yes!” Have a good day and help someone along the way! And, you stay moisturized too…spiritually! Balm is available! Spiritual dryness can be remedied…quickly! Be blessed!
“Is there no balm in Gilead?” (Jeremiah 8:22a)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King