Known Day 11 Jehovah Rapha

Meribeth Schierbeek
July 24, 2023

Exodus 15:22-27
Exodus 20:1-21
Matthew 9:1-8
Psalm 103:1-5
Isaiah 53
When I hear Jehovah Rapha, the Lord is our Healer, my mind goes immediately God’s revelation of Himself as He began to give His prophet, Moses, the ten commandments:
“I AM the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”
(Exodus 20:2, emphasis mine)
We see very quickly, as we consider our sin within light of the ten commandments, how desperately we need the spiritual healing of our Savior Jesus from our slavery to sin. (Romans 3:20) In fact, our spiritual healing began back in the garden of Eden, when God covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness and shame in their sin (Genesis 3:21), an early shadow of the righteous covering Jesus would bring. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Still today, our hearts are deceitfully wicked (Jeremiah 17:9-10) and we need Jehovah Rapha (Luke 6:17-19; Matthew 14:13-14; Mathew 8:16-17) to be wholly His and wholly healed.
As we understand spiritual healing, we also look to the physical healing most of us have desired for ourselves or a loved one.
Our family has been in this place of longing for healing when my father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer. Oh, how we prayed for his healing.
A very special friend of all of our children, he was closest to our 15 year old son. I recall leaving a visit with him, turning to look at my son in the backseat of our car. What I saw broke my heart. His head was down, and his shoulders shook with sobs. He knew cancer was taking the man he loved so much. As his mom I was so concerned for his heart, his faith, and his trust in the Lord His God.
From the time of diagnosis, we prayed, “Lord, we know You are the Healer and You will heal Grandpa here on this side of heaven or home with You.”
Our desire was for healing to happen here.
God’s answer was to call him home.
Before he died, he was able to talk with our son. He told our son he was thankful for cancer because it drew him closer to the Lord…a testimony declaring healing begins and ends in the heart, even if it doesn’t heal the body. Jehovah Rapha did indeed minister in mercy to our beloved Grandpa.
So often I find myself wanting healing from …
The pain of life.
The emotional pain of a strained relationship.
The physical pain of sickness.
The mental pain of trauma and past abuse.
What would you add to this list?
What happens when the healing of the pain we suffer falls short of our desires?
Is Jehovah Rapha still our healer?
Does His character change?
(Hebrews 13:8)
As I grapple with these questions, I think of the story in the gospel of Matthew, when friends carried their sick neighbor to the healing hands of Jesus. (Matthew 9:1-8) I see so many types of healing in this short vignette!
To a lonely heart, one suffering under the cultural stigma of illness, the gift of friendship is like the healing touch of the Lord!
After a lifetime of paralysis, how miraculous it must have been to receive the physical healing he so desperately desired! Imagine how this must have transformed nearly every area of his life, from his ability to work and achieve financial security to his relationships and his place within his community.
Finally, we see two spiritual healings, both in the forgiveness of the man’s sins and in verse 9, Matthew’s own willingness to immediately accept Jesus’ invitation to follow Him. In order for Matthew to become a disciple, he must have had a new heart desire to walk with God . . . Healing the man’s legs was only the beginning of Jesus’ work here!
How often is this true in our lives, as well? We want Jehovah Rapha’s healing in one specific area, but God has abundantly more…He wants us to believe HE IS LORD, the I AM, giving us the healing we need.
Because of the redemptive work of Jesus, we can have hope that healings we don’t see manifest on earth will be brought to full completion in heaven. As we learned with my father-in-law’s journey, Jehovah Rapha is ever drawing us nearer to His heart, even through illness, and we can have faith in the perfect restoration of all things in the presence of Jesus. (Revelation 21:1-5)
As the psalmist declares,
“My soul, bless the LORD,
And do not forget all his benefits.
He forgives all your iniquity;
He heals all your diseases.
He redeems your life from the Pit;
He crowns you with faithful love and compassion.
He satisfies you with good things;
Your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
(Psalm 103:1-5)
Sisters, how can you trust Him with your pain?
Whether you are struggling physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually,
whether healing comes now or in your earthly future or in heaven,
God is still your Jehovah Rapha,
still with you in your hurting,
still comforting you and sustaining you
until He calls you home.
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