Day 4: Wash Your Hands!

Devotional: Applying the Bible to my today.

Read: James 4:7-10

By Dave Dunson

I can’t prove it, but I suspect that James, the brother of Jesus, knew the world would face the COVID-19 crisis. Here’s why I think so; in James 4:8 he writes, “Wash your hands”!

Okay, that’s not an accurate use of the scripture, but the context in which James calls for hand washing is certainly applicable to us today. James wrote in James 4:8, "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

In times uncertainty, we must constantly be reminded that when we come near to God, He always will come near to us. The “wash your hands” instruction is not the physical act, which IS so important when dealing with a virus. Rather, it is a reminder that if our hearts are filled with fear and our minds are destabilized by all of the questions and conflicting information that bombards us, we do need the washing, a cleansing that only the Holy Spirit can provide.

Here is a song from my childhood that I loved to sing. (Even though, when we sang it in the Kiamichis of Oklahoma, we usually added an “R” to the word “washed” – it sounded like “WaRshed”)

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Refrain:
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Dear Father, Thank you for drawing near to us, when we draw closer to you. Remind us often of your presence. Help us Lord to recognize the difference between the things we can do and those things that are beyond our control. Help us to trust you so that we can wash off the fear and anxiety that clings to us like dirt. Help us to purify our minds from all the “what ifs” and allow your Holy Spirit to bring us your peace of mind. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Dave Dunson works as a Chaplain for the Tulsa Police Department Chaplaincy Corp and the Pastoral Care Minister at Highland Park Christian Church in Tulsa, OK.

For your enjoyment, we have included two versions of the song "Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb?". There is a contemporary version and another version that is equally beautiful and probably a little more like Dave experienced in the Kiamichis (minus the "R" in the word "washed"). Enjoy and have a peace filled day!

Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb? - Contemporary Version

Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb? - By Farmhouse Recordings