Jehovah Rapha (Rophe): The Lord Who Heals; The Lord is My Health
The human race as a whole has an immense need for healing and wholeness! Sickness and incurable diseases ravage our bodies. Brokenness permeates our emotional well-being. Our minds and bodies are fragmented and damaged. No matter how intently scientists work, some medical cures are still beyond our reach. As I watched Dave struggle through various kinds of cancer treatments, I gained a new understanding of what it means to “practice medicine”. Many times, doctors are just trying out everything they know to be possible with no guaranteed results.
When we think of God as our healer, we generally tend to think of physical illnesses or handicaps that need to be corrected. However, the meaning of this name of God has a much broader application. It can include illnesses of the mind, and emotions, spiritual wounds, or physical wounds.
The word “rophe” means, “to heal, cure, restore, or make whole.” The name Jehovah Rophe actually means “Jehovah heals” or even “Jehovah my Health”. The Old Testament passages will contain the Hebrew word “rapha”, which means “to heal”. The New Testament word will be different because it was written in Greek.
God first reveals this name to us in Exodus 15 when Israel was following the leading of God through the wilderness. It’s interesting to note that the children of Israel did not wander aimlessly through the wilderness, choosing any direction they wanted. They were following a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. God Himself was leading them…to the Red Sea, through the Wilderness, and to the bitter water of the springs at Marah.
When we enter tough situations, such as the loss of a spouse, we may be tempted to think that we’re out of God’s will. The truth may be that we are totally IN His will without realizing it! It is surely all part of His plan, even though it’s painful. Often the only way to get from where we are to where we need to be is through the wilderness. Like the Israelites, we may have to go through a dry place. In this passage, we see the people going from a desert with no water to a place of bitter water. At that place, God reveals Himself as Jehovah Rapha and “heals” the water. At the end of the passage we see the people at an oasis of plentiful water and date palms. But they couldn’t get to the oasis without first going through the dry and bitter places.
Many of us don’t stop to realize that we need healing when it comes to our grief and sorrow. Grief can cause deep heart wounds that can only be restored by emotional healing. That takes time. The old adage that says “Time heals all wounds” actually has a measure of truth to it. Every physical wound takes time to heal – it doesn’t happen overnight! The same is true for heart wounds. They aren’t healed overnight.
The mistake that some widows make (or those around them make) is to have unrealistic expectations about when they should be “over it”. Losing a spouse is the number one stressor that can be experienced in life. Things will not go back to “normal” – ever. Everything has changed for the one left here. When we try to think and behave “normally” – like we did before – we find ourselves exhausted, frustrated, and perhaps even angry or depressed. The best thing we can do with those unspoken (or sometimes spoken!) expectations is to completely forget about them!
Give yourself grace and time to heal. Don’t be afraid to admit that your heart is broken and in need of healing. When we can admit that, we gain the freedom to ask for healing. When we ask, Jehovah Rapha is there to touch our hearts in the deep places that only He can reach. He will become your joy and your strength, enabling you to take one day at a time gradually returning you to wholeness.
Como siempre, sus pensamientos y comentarios son bienvenidos aquí o puede enviarme un correo electrónico a sheryl@freshhope.us. Si está buscando un nuevo propósito y un camino para seguir adelante, considere unirse a uno de nuestros grupos de Refocusing Widows, ya sea en persona o en línea. Puede registrarse en www.refocusingwidows.org/Groups. ¡Esperamos conocerle!
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