Jehovah Rapha
The God who heals
He is the power and might
That is within us revealed.
Declare His name
Stand firm in your faith
Hold onto His Word
His glory will be great
His blood covers our hearts
Flooding the doorposts to our homes
Everything is filtered
Nothing is left to roam
We take every thought captive
We submit our spirits to Your work
We come against sickness and plague
Your love and power is our ark.
You are keeping us safe
In the secret places
We respond to your protection
By lifting up our praises
Our worship is our weapon
Your glory is our victory
Our faith will sustain us
Your presence is our benedictory
Yours is the kingdom
All will bow down
All will recognize Your face
All will glorify your crown
You are Lord of All
Lord of my healing
Lord of my faith
Lord of my obedience
Lord of my trust
Lord of my worship
Lord of my praise
You are Jehovah, El-Elyon!
You ARE and that is all that matters.
Devotional: Names of God Series: Post 1: Jehovah Rapha
Back in January, I felt God speaking to me about a series of exploring the names of God to remind His people of who He is. Little did I know then, that we would be facing what we are facing now. He has called us all for times such as this. This is a wake up call for all who call Him Lord to come together as the church and declare who He is to the world.
In Psalm 9: 10, David declares to the Lord, “Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for You.” It is so important to remember to trust your God, to know His name, and to declare His name over any and all situations you are facing. He will never leave you nor forsake you! He is always with you and going before you to prepare a way and to light your path. Remember this in the uncertain days to come.
Names in the times of Abraham and Jesus meant something to the Hebrew people. When you were given a name it carried an epithet with it that described you in some way–usually by your actions. So when you were to speak that person’s name, it was speaking life into that person. For instance, Jacob was the son of Isaac. Jacob’s name meant “little deceiver” and later we find that Jacob deceives his father by having Isaac bless him with the rights of the first born even though those rights should have been given to Esau. Jacob certainly lives up to his name. Later on in the story, we find that after Jacob “wrestles” with an unknown man in his camp. God changes his name to Israel. Israel means “one who wrestles with God.” What a powerful name. Every time that someone called Jacob from that point further Israel they were reinforcing his identity in God and therefore, also speaking life into the existence of the nation of Israel. This is who we ARE! We are Israel- God’s people-the ones who will be his representation on this earth.
There are numerous scriptures that talks about God being Jehovah Rapha-the God who heals, and there could be many series and many studies done with each scripture that I am going to address. I encourage you to study these scriptures further, and I believe God will reveal Himself to you in a way that you have not experienced Him before.
In Exodus 15:26, Moses and the Israelites have traveled from the Red Sea into the desert of Shur, and they have been without water for three days. When they finally do find water, they grumble because the water is bitter and not fit drink. Moses replies to his people, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees I will not bring on you any of the diseases of the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” God is very clear in his instructions to the Israelites. We must trust in Him, and we must obey His commands and then we will be covered by his protection of healing. Obedience is key if we are wanting God to heal us. This, again, ties back to us entering into His presence with a surrendered heart. We need to release our own agendas and ambitions, and we need to submit to the Lord. We cannot lose if we do this. We can only gain in our understanding of Him, and then, we will reap the benefits of His presence within our life.
In 2 Kings 20:1-5, King Hezekiah is dying, and he cries out to God for healing. The Bible states that Hezekiah was the only faithful king, so when he cried out to God for healing God heard his cry and granted him 15 more years and protection for his people against the Assyrians. It is important to note that his FAITH is what allowed him to be healed, and not just faith in that moment but faith throughout his life. Faith is the product of our obedience to God, and if we are continually obedient then we are continually exercising our faith, and in return, we are building a closer relationship with God. This closeness is what allows God to move in our lives because we keep a constant invitation open availability to Him. We must be obedient to Him and His commands and have continual faith in Him not just when we are in need of Him but all the time.
In the New Testament, God heals through Jesus. Jesus becomes the living healer. He becomes Jehovah Rapha in the present in human form. There are numerous accounts of Jesus healing. This is probably one of the best known facts about Jesus during His time period and today. We know Him to be a miracle worker, and a lot of those miracles were for those who needed to healed either physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
In Luke 17: 11-19, Jesus heals the ten lepers, and the lepers obediently went to the priests to be checked to confirm their cleanliness. In Jesus’ time, people who had leprosy were “quarantined” away from the society because it was highly contagious. Leprosy was an illness that could come and go, and if those who were infected with this showed signs of remission, they would go to the priests to be declared “clean” so that they could rejoin society.
In Luke 17: 11-19, Luke illustrates Jesus’ encounter, “As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered the village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ He looked at them and said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God!’ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And Jesus said to the man, ‘Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.'”
In this account, it is reinforced that our faith (specifically in Jesus) and our obedience to Him are key components to having our ailments healed. When the lepers saw him, they called to him by His name and declaring His power over them. This is what got Jesus’ attention. They knew who He was and the called Him by name. They also pleaded to Him to have mercy on them. They also recognized who they were and their position in His presence. This is their act of submission to Him. This is when Jesus instructed them to go to the priests to be evaluated. He did not heal them on the spot. His healing required them to act on His command. When we want Jesus to heal us, we must head to His commands before the evidence is seen. Our obedience and belief in His command is what allows God to heal us. We must call His healing complete before the work has been finished. What a greater testimony we will have if we choose to believe in what He tells us to do. This story also brings on another important point. Once the healing has occurred, it is just as vital to give God he glory. We need to appreciate His hand moving over our life. We need to be in a constant state of gratitude, awe, and respect for God.
Another account in the book of Luke is the story of the woman who fought through the crowds while Jesus was traveling to Jairus’ house in chapter eight versus 43-48. She had been having constant bleeding for twelve years! She was a woman desperate for Jesus and for His healing power. When I read this chapter, I read in the commentary that women in this time period would be semi-ostrized during the times of her menstrual cycle. It was Jewish law that no man could touch a menstrating woman or he would be considered “ceremonially unclean.” Men would further protect themselves by avoiding these women altogether. They would not speak, touch, or even look at them. This woman, who probably had some abnormal condition, had been treated as an unclean and unworthy “disease” that men had to avoid. She was someone desperate to see Jesus. She knew that He could heal her. She believed in Him before she even saw Him. (Oh how we are like this woman, we believe in Him before we have seen Him) Her faith was so strong that all she had to do was touch his cloak, and immediately, she was healed. She pushed through a crowd of hundreds of people hungry for the chance just to touch the robe of Jesus.
Jesus knew that he had been touched because He felt the healing power go out from Him, and he asked for the one who touched Him to reveal herself. He wanted her to show herself to Him. He wanted to show others that everyone, even those not socially desirable, were worthy of His healing and time.
Lastly, in Luke 5:17-26, Jesus heals the paralyzed man. This man was carried on his mat by his friends to meet Jesus. What a friendship and commitment. These men carried this man, and they did not just carry him to Jesus. They carried him atop of a roof and made a whole through the roof, and lifted the man down in front of Jesus to where he rested at the feet of Jesus. I am hoping and believing for friends like this. Ones who help me get to the feet of Jesus. Jesus heals the man of his paralysis, but not just because of his faith, but because of his friends’ faith. This is so important to remember that when you are seeking healing to call on the body of Christ to help lift you up to the feet of Jesus, so that he can heal you. People who surround us during these times are so important because their faith, rather belief or unbelief, does affect us. We need to surround ourselves with people who have faith in the Lord Almighty, so that they can be a source of life and light within our darkness.
Time and again, throughout the Bible God is seen as Jehovah Rapha. He loves and cares for us–our whole selves. He wants us to be healed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. There is nothing more important to Him than our well being. He so wants us to rely on him solely, so that he can protect us from all that comes against us. However, we must be faithful and obedient to Him, so that we keep an open invitation for Him into our lives.
Please let me pray for you:
Heavenly Father, Lord, Jehovah Rapha, I am asking for you to heal my brothers and sisters in Christ. Lord, you are the God who heals. In your word, it states that if we submit to Your will and have faith in You that You will heal us. I stand firm on Your word as truth, and in the name of Jesus living in me, I ask boldly to heal this sickness, and to heal our land. Lord, we submit to your authority and we ask for your will to be done, your kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven. Lord we bind sickness, in the name of Jesus and whatever we bind here on earth it is also bound in Heaven. You are the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the Creator of everything. Who else can heal us like you can? We give You glory for Your work in our lives, for Your love You bestow upon us, and for Your peace that You release into our spirits. Lord, we walk in faith and believe that the healing has already been done in Jesus name. We choose to believe in You, no matter what. Thank you Jesus for Your healing, for Your faithfulness, for Your love, Your mercy and Your grace. We love you Lord. We ask all of this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
Scriptures to study:
Songs of Worship:
The Crimson Robe 