Jehovah-Rapha

Jehovah-Rapha means “the Lord who heals.” We all have prayed for someone to be healed. Sometimes God answers our prayers the way we want, but other times he does not. We grapple with trying to understand, and through all the thinking, crying, praying, and pleading, we still do not have all the answers.

I believe that sometimes God answers our prayers, but we fail to recognize his answer. Sometimes he gives complete healing by taking his children to heaven. When my father was taking chemo, he came to a point of resolution. He decided enough was enough. He loved God more than anything in this world. He had talked much about going to heaven, and he determined that he would no longer fight the battle with medication. Before he left this world, he would sit and talk about what Heaven was going to be like. Jesus showed himself as Jehovah-Rapha when he gave my Dad complete and perfect healing. He gave him a new body no longer wracked by pain.

Sometimes he heals by showing himself strong in this world.  Jesus showed he was Jehovah-Rapha in his healing of the sick, blind, lame, and casting out of demons. He even raised the dead.

The healing that normally comes to mind when we pray for healing is physical healing. I have witnessed the healing of those who are physically sick and rejoiced with them at the news the illness was gone. I know people who have been cured of cancer, brain tumors, and other deadly diseases. It is a great celebration when a friend or loved one has their body restored to health. It is a time to praise God from whom all blessings flow. God is God and can deal with us any way he chooses. I believe he is still in the business of physically healing people.

Another healing takes place when God forgives and restores us from sin sickness. This cure is worth more than any healing in this world. In Luke, Jesus told us about his most important healing. The healing of the soul.

Luke 5:31,32 “And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

I love to hear of people being healed, but I pray that I can get more excited about the healing of sin sickness than I do about physical sickness.

At some point, we are all going to die, and if we have not experienced the healing of sin sickness, the pain will be greater than any suffering done on this earth.

Let us pray for physical healing, but let us pray more for the sin-sick. Sin sickness is a sickness unto death eternal. Those who do not seek healing by repenting and putting their faith in Jesus Christ will suffer forever. It will be suffering like none we have ever witnessed. We need to beg God to deal with the hearts of those who have not surrendered their lives to Him. God desires to give them complete healing and an eternity with Him, but they must seek the healing.  God is Jehovah-Rapha – the Lord who heals. Have you allowed Him to be your Jehovah-Rapha?