Devotions

The oil lamp upon my shelf,

Mom used to take the kerosene,

applied it to my open cuts

and it would heal them quick and clean.

Mom used to take the kerosene

and while she dabbed me, she would say

the lamp was old, from her dad’s side.

Passed down from Alabama way.

Applied it to my open cuts,

so tenderly in my bedroom.

The old lamp brings back memories,

in storms, when lit, would chase the gloom.

And it would heal me quick and clean.

Yes, kerosene would do the trick.

But now the lamp stands empty there.

Except it has a crumpled wick.

Generation to Generation

If you love me, keep my commands. John 14:15

How old is the oil lamp? It’s hard to say. When Mom said it was very old, it was in the 1960’s. It belonged to her father. He was born in 1900. And it probably was around before that. Pappap grew up in Alabama on an old cotton plantation. He told a story about him and his brothers picking cotton. To meet the quota, they put Pappap in one of the bags. They all got into trouble for that. Who knows? Maybe, even before that, a slave walked with that oil lamp when he went out to milk the cows in the morning. Or perhaps it came over with one of our ancestors from Scotland. Oh, if objects can only talk!

The kerosene cure was also passed down from early generations. Many of my childhood booboos were cured by kerosene. It was much better than Merthiolate or Mercurochrome that stained skin red and were later banned, because they contained mercury. One year, my church youth choir went to Alabama, of all places. I had a cut on my hand and Mom insisted I pack some kerosene to cure the cut. Well, I did and the little bottle broke. I still remember the look of shock on one of the girls faces when I explained why I had kerosene with me. Apparently, she had never heard of such a thing. Luckily, there wasn’t that much and whatever it was that it had spilled on was easy enough to wash out. Now, I use triple antibiotic ointment which is also petroleum based, but seems a more normal thing to do.

I think of Naaman of the Old Testament who needed a cure for his leprosy. His Israeli slave girl told him to seek out Elisha. He did and Elisha told him to dip in the Jordan seven times. I can picture his face with the same expression as that one girl had when I told her about kerosene. He argued that the rivers in Damascus were better. But his servants asked him if he wouldn’t do it if Elisha had asked something difficult. So Naaman dipped and was healed. His healing came from obedience to God. Now-a-days, the Bible has been abandoned by many, like Merthiolate and Mercurochrome, but in it lies secrets of healing body, soul and mind. Obedience to God and His ways are key factors. The things God asks you to do may defy logic, but God doesn’t always do things conventionally. In fact, creativity is at the core of who He is and He passes that down to His people.

Recommended Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-19, 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Prayer: Lord, help us be sensitive and obedient to Your Holy Spirit and Your Word, even when it may not seem logical. Let Your creativity flow through us as we do the work You called us to do. May how we live be an act of worship to You and be helpful to others.