Continuing our series on the names of God revealed in Scripture, we will treat yet another popular name: Jehovah Rophe, the Lord that heals. Other variants of this attribute, rapha, ropheka, are scattered in Hebrew Scripture
When God pitched this attribute, He situated it a context that would make Israel understand the extent of His healing power. The ten plagues of Egypt that preceded the exodus of Israel to the Promised Land were conditions that affected the wholeness of the people, livestock, plants and water bodies. The lice and boils represented physical harm, the conditions that destroyed animals, crops and waters created physical, emotional and mental stress. But the final plague, the death of Egypt's firstborns, caused complete havoc to the Egyptians, wounding them to their core and attacking their spiritual roots. Now, at Marah, God assures the people that if they would honour Him, they will experience the opposite of what they had witnessed. They would have wholeness, restoration, vitality and life.
God desires to heal us of every condition that impairs the wellbeing of our body, soul and spirit. He sent His Son, Jesus, to perform the work for this blessing to become our reality (see Isaiah 53). Bodily, He suffered through the thorns that were pushed into His head, the spear that pierced His sides, the stripes that ripped His flesh, the nails that punctured His hands and feet, and the pain from His outstretched body on the cross. In His soul, He experienced emotional torture, grief, sorrow and deep anguish as the Father turned away and forsook Him on account of our sins. He sweated and cried tears of blood and it is believed that blood and water oozed out of His side because His heart failed from distress.
In His Spirit, He became the personification of our sins and He was separated from His Holy Father. He drank the bitter cup of God's judgement and wrath against sin. Because of the all-encompassing nature of His sufferings and death for us and as us, He secured healing for us and is able to minister complete healing to us physically, emotional, mentally and spiritually. Jesus gave us a foretaste of His healing nature in his earthly ministry as well. Joseph Prince said, “You will find that when Jesus walked on earth, most of His miracles were in the area of healing. That is because His nature is to heal.”
God deploys his healing through diverse streams. One of the primary ways by which God creates and restores is through His Word, right from the creation account in Genesis. In Proverbs 4:20-22, the Amplified Bible says “My son, pay attention to my words and be willing to learn; open your ears to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing and health to all their flesh." The renowned Bible teacher, Derek Prince, testifies of how he recovered from a terminal skin disease after he had been left to his fate to waste away after all medical means had failed. Inspired to imbibe God's word like prescribed medicine, he received supernatural healing by reading and hearing them consistently morning, afternoon and evening. Many have received healings through the Word administered on radio, television or books. If only we steadfastly listen to God's voice and Word with such faith and expectation, we will also testify of healing and restorations. I believe in this 40-day season, we've been aligning ourselves for such miracles.
The prayer of faith administered through anointing by appointed leaders in God's church is another stream of healing. James 5:14-15 says, "Are there any sick among you? Then ask the elders of the church to come and pray over the sick and anoint them with oil in the name of our Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick and the Lord will raise them up, and if they have committed sins they will be forgiven." In this context, the essence of forgiveness in some healings is highlighted and that is consistent with other revelations in Scripture. David wrote that the Lord forgives all his sins and heals all his diseases (Psalm 103:3). Healing accompanies forgiveness and both are a result of Christ's redemptive work on the cross. Thus, it is written that by His stripes we are healed.
Another means of healing is confession of sins accompanied by the sincere heartfelt prayers of our brothers and sisters in the faith. "Confess and acknowledge how you have offended one another and then pray for one another to be instantly healed, for tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer!" (James 5:16). This means of healing is backed by the power of agreement for which we have further assurance of answered prayer (Matthew 18:19).
Laying on of hands is another method of healing. In the Gospels, we find Jesus using this method a lot in His ministry: healing of the leper (Mark 1:40-41), raising Jairus' daughter from the dead (Mark 5:35-42), healing the blind man (Mark 7:31-35) and healing a crippled woman (Luke 13:10-13). In Acts 9:12-17, Ananias laid hands on Paul to receive his sight and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Later in Acts 28:8, the Apostle Paul laid his hands on the father of Publius and he got healed. Our Lord also declared that His followers will lay hands on the sick and heal them in His name (Mark 16:18). Therefore, we are authorized to administer healing as we lay hands on our selves and others in Jesus' name.
Healing is also one of the proceeds of a fast that is done in a way that pleases God. In Isaiah 58, God teaches the people of Israel to turn from their meaningless motions of penance they observe while they keep oppressing, quarreling with and fighting others. He admonishes them to fast when they have undone heavy burdens, reconciled with others and extended kindness to those in need. “Then my favor will bathe you in sunlight until you are like the dawn bursting through a dark night. And then suddenly your healing will manifest. You will see your righteousness march out before you, and the glory of Yahweh will protect you from all harm!” (verse 8). Hallelujah! As we fast God's way on this 40-day journey, I believe healing and restoration shall break forth for you and your household.
Once I fell sick on campus and I was praying and confessing faith scriptures over the situation. I had the impression to go to the hospital but I ignored it because I felt it wasn't spiritual to go to the hospital. I opted to continue with preparations for an exam coming up the following day, though it was very ineffective, and ignored the persistent prompting to seek medical help. As I sat in the exam room, I couldn’t think clearly, and had to make several visits to the washroom to no avail. Within forty minutes of a 3-hour exam, I had to hand in my papers and get rushed in an ambulance to the university clinic. I collapsed on arrival and found myself with drips when I regained consciousness. Could this situation have been avoided? Yes! Had I obeyed the instruction to go to the hospital in time.
On another occasion, I was unwell and after having a blackout in the washroom, I called for a friend's help. But then I heard the Lord say "Go and buy coconut". I wondered how awkward it would be asking this friend to buy me coconut when my situation suggested that I should be sent to the hospital. I requested this anyway and when he arrived hours later with the coconut my condition had worsened. He then proposed we go to the hospital but I heard again that "they will not attend to you when you go." However, I drank the coconut water and boarded a taxi to the hospital because I was too weak to walk. To our amazement, the staff wouldn't attend to me because I didn't have a certain hospital card. My friend was so upset he almost picked a fight with this receptionist. Interestingly, by this time, I was strong enough to walk to get a bus home because the healing process had already started.
What am I driving at? I have experienced God's healing with and without medical intervention. We sometimes have conflicts with medicinal or medical means of healing but we must understand that God is not against these. As we see from Exodus 15:25, God directed Moses to use a tree to restore the bitter waters. God created the plant and animal extracts administered as medicines for healing (see Ezekiel 47:12, Revelation 22:2). He also gives scientists the knowledge for groundbreaking discoveries. These research and medical professions, like pastors, are also called and gifted to extend healing and health, even if they do not acknowledge His existence. If our confidence for healing is ultimately rooted in Christ's finished work, we can receive medical interventions as channels of God's mercies without feeling 'carnal', 'faithless' or 'unspiritual'. Through His indwelling Spirit, we can obtain inner peace and further direction on the timing and place to visit. Moreover, we can trust God to exempt us from negative side-effects and complications that could arise through these medicines and medical procedures.
Of course we know that natural means and technologies are limited and sometimes we need supernatural intervention for wholeness. Some are weary, hurt and sorrowful because of countless disappointments, miscarriages, fibroids, pregnancy complications, and the likes. For such, God prescribes His joy to displace their grief and prepare them for His restoration. He sends His seasonal word to heal their emotions and stir their joy. If you find yourself in such a condition, may A. B. Simpson's exhortation minister to you: "Begin to rejoice in the Lord, and your bones will flourish like an herb, and your cheeks will glow with the bloom of health and freshness. Worry, fear, distrust, care-all are poisonous! Joy is balm and healing, and if you will but rejoice, God will give power".
A friend lost a baby to some pregnancy complications after waiting years to conceive. The process was understandably painful but one good thing was she took time to process her pain and disappointment before the Lord and shared with friends who were available to listen. This is a crucial component of healing which many sometimes overlook and even erroneously consider as a sign of weakness. In that period, the Holy Spirit gave me this word for her: "I will not lie to her concerning my promise". Today, she has a beautiful baby girl. I want to remind you too that God shares your pain and He will not lie to you. He desires to bring full restoration to underlying wounds which are not obvious to medical apparatus. He has started a healing process which He's perfecting to bring you wholeness and supernatural childbirth.
The healing channels discussed above are not exhaustive and we should neither limit God to a specific method nor regard any channel as a formula. In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that the shadow of Peter healed the sick (5:14-16) and the handkerchiefs and aprons of Paul made the sick well (19:12). In an earlier bulletin, I shared how God healed a condition in my blood through the Holy Communion as He expanded my understanding of its power. At times, He gives specific instructions for healing based on the conditions or the cause of the situation. He may even deploy a combination of different streams.
For Abimelech and his household to be healed of infertility, there had to be confession, forgiveness, restitution as well as the prayer of the righteous man. "Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children. For the Lord had caused all the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s wife, Sarah (Genesis 20:17-18, NLT). For complete and effective healing, it's crucial that we identify the root causes rather than deal with the symptoms. This is where prayer and openness to revelation-knowledge gives us believers an advantage.
In closing, I want to highlight that God requires our partnership regardless of the method of healing He chooses. He wants us to place our faith in Him and respond to His specific instruction or guidance. This is why some ministers run healing schools to teach truths on healing to the point where people's faith are well built for miracles. In an atmosphere of faith, anything is possible with God. On this 40-day journey, we have been intentionally building our faith through the reading, hearing and declaration of God's word. His power is available to bring tangible healings and manifestations. Partner with Him.