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One of the earliest stories in the bible happens in the book of Exodus when God freed the Israelites from slavery. After 400 years of slavery, the Lord reveals Himself to Moses in the burning bush and tells him that He is the God of his fathers; but what’s interesting is the phrase he used to introduce himself: “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3;14 NKJV.
God's name shows us his character deeply;- His dominion over all things, His eternal existence and His unchanging nature. Which is why what He tells us about Himself is very important, it gives us roots in his identity. In John 8:58, we see Jesus using the same phrase to tell the Jews that He is fully God; that he has all that the Ffather has.
As humans, we could use many names to describe our characters as we paint our image in every single conversation that we have in various relationships. Some could know us as sociable, others as introverted; some as funny, others as serious; we could have various descriptions depending on the situation. In the case of God, He is known for His uniform identity throughout time. If He was faithful yesterday, He is faithful today and he will be faithful; his character is not time bound. In addition to that God is His name personified. He is all that He says He is, the name of God shows us His identity in its fullest form and potency.
As the Israelites journey continued, God started revealing himself in more than one way. In Exodus 15:24, we see the Israelites passing by the water Marah and they couldn’t drink the water because it was bitter; the Lord then heals it and makes it healthy to drink. He then tells them He is their healer God.
Jehovah Rapha- is the Hebrew phrase taken from this verse which translates to “the God who heals”. He promises the Israelites to protect them from the diseases that came upon the Egyptians if they obey His commandments and listen to Him; where we see that all disease and brokenness has its source in our disobedience to God's voice.
Jesus once said that he came for the sick and not the healthy. He loves to mend the broken and fix the damaged. He said this not only for those physically sick but for the broken-hearted, those who have sunk in deep sin, who are afraid, who deal with deep issues, and those who are mentally ill. Coming from this place of knowledge we understand that His healing comes in all shapes and sizes.
Throughout our lives, we could be exposed to many situations that are capable of breaking us in so many ways. These could be childhood traumas, toxic friendships and relationships, voices and labellings thrown from people and so on. As we struggle and go through pain, emotional breakdown and post trauma, we deal with what God has never intended for us in the first place thus left in position in need of healing.
One of the enemy’s biggest propagandas is to keep us trapped in our past, making us feel the same pain over and over again even as time goes by. He never wants us to go forward and embrace the good things that God has for us so he sends guilt and voices speaking death to our ears.
Some of our destruction begins with what we have heard because what we listen to changes the lens through which we look at life or ourselves, just like Eve saw what God forbade as beneficial for her. It changed her viewpoint and resulted in destruction. It robbed her of the fullness of what God intended for her life.
Similar things happen to us when we see ourselves in the lens of the whispers of the enemy because we believed the lies. The word of God also says that; ”So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV. Clearly showing us that what we believe in and who we believe we are, comes through who we are listening to.
The Lord's healing also comes in believing what he said about us and the faith needed for it comes through the hearing of the word. His word heals people. As scripture says;” “He sent his word, and healed them, And delivered them from their destruction.” Psalm 107:20 KJV.
One of the most repeated phrases throughout the bible is; “Do not be Afraid.”, it is written around 365 times (Looks like one for each day), both in the old and new testaments. Even before Jesus we find this phrase repeatedly, showing the original intention that the Lord had for mankind. 2 Timothy 1:7 says; “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
God knows that in the world that we live in, there is turbulence and disturbance that could shake us from our standing point, it could break our viewpoint and put us in chains that could stop us from functioning in the will of God. In these times, many struggle to actually face a lot of areas in their life because of fear. God heals what`s broken because of fear through giving us our original identities and what he knows about us, giving us strength and courage just like Giddeon who was so afraid but later became a mighty man of God who freed the Israelites. He shares us the lens to look at ourselves from his perspective. In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, it says; “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
“But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” Matthew 15:26-28. This is the story of a woman of great faith, she believed Jesus for the healing of her child. As Jesus testified, her faith was great, and she believed that He was capable of healing her daughter. The Lord still heals today just like he made the bedridden run and gave eyes to the blind. His healing is physical to this day.
In Daniel 4:34, God healed the king from mental illness. Above all, God's healing extends to the biggest disease - Sin. In Genesis, we see the fall of mankind after disobedience to God's commandment, which resulted in destruction. Our disobedience separated us from God and led us to death. Sin opened doors for the enemy to fulfill his agenda, which is rebellion against God; after the first sin that Adam and Eve committed, mankind started sinking deep in deterioration and away from the original purpose it had. Rebellion prevailed and people went in the opposite direction from where God has led them, including the Israelites. Redemption was unattainable through the Law which Moses received. The brokenness was visible in our relationships; violence and hatred was everywhere and we were in desperate need for a healer.
JESUS HEALS. The ultimate act of healing offered by Jesus is not merely the curing of diseases but the forgiveness of sins and the offering of eternal life. His death on the cross is seen as the ultimate atoning sacrifice, dealing with the root cause of sin and its consequences. Jesus took the price that we were supposed to pay in order to heal us and in order to heal the relationship that we had with God. Because of his works now we have the gift of eternal life. In Isiah 53 the actual price that Jesus paid is portrayed; “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed.” This passage captures the depth of God’s healing nature.
Today, we might find ourselves in different situations; and in our lives the healing power of God is sufficient to pull us out from depression, anxiety, sinful habit, brokenness, or any kind of darkness; since he never changes, we are always safe under his wings.