(Continuation of a series on “The Power in the Names of God.”)
Our friend recently shared a message on the names of God. As he got deeper into his message, he would ask if anyone in the congregation had a life example they would like to share. My husband turned to me and said, “Man, we could give life examples for all of these!”
I guess that is crazy good. However, when you are in the midst of the situation, the times when it feels like all the curtains have been drawn, friends have scattered like cockroaches when the lights are turned on, and God has somehow found work on the other side of the world and has forgotten you existed, it can be a challenge.
I’m sure we’ve all been there at some point or another. As I’ve heard it said, “It’s called a ‘test’ imony for a reason.”
In my last article, I shared on Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord Shall Provide
Today, I would like to talk about Jehovah-Rapha: The God Who Heals. You can read more about “The Names of God and Why They Matter” at: https://www.davidjeremiah.org/knowgod/the-names-of-god.
My husband, Ed, and I both have amazing testimonies of God’s healing power. Not only have we experienced both small and large physical healings, but we have seen others touched as well.
I pray that as I quickly share the following testimonies, that your faith will be increased and your hearts encouraged.
Ed – About a month before Ed and I were to marry, Ed had a car radiator blow up in his face. He was a mechanic at an auto place and when he removed the cap off the radiator, the liquid shot straight up burning his face and parts of his arms where he tried to shield himself. As the ambulance attendants came and began to pour some kind of liquid on his face, Ed could see portions of his skin fall away. The doctors said that he would have to have plastic surgery to repair the damage. The smell of burnt flesh was so horrific that one of the nurses had loudly questioned, “Oh my gosh, what smells so bad?” The doctors wrapped his head like a mummy with a hole for one eye, his nostrils and mouth and sent him home.
God put a burden on a little girl’s heart to pray!
The Sunday School teacher for the teens at our church had a little girl. She asked her dad to take her to Ed’s house so she could pray for him. Her dad was obedient and they came and prayed over Ed. A little while later he felt his face began to tingle. Even though he wasn’t supposed to, Ed removed the bandages. He was amazed at what he saw. The side of his face that had been so badly burned, was now covered in a shiny, new, pink layer of skin. There were no sores or oozing or even scars on his face. Doctors were shocked when he showed up for his next appointment. The only scar he had was a spot on his arm that hadn’t been as severely burned.
Jean – When I was about thirteen years old, I became very sick with a bowel blockage. I ended up in the hospital and the doctors had no idea what to do. If they chose to operate, I would most likely die on the table. Best case scenario, I would end up with a colostomy bag the rest of my life. My parents chose to wait and trust God.
The body of Christ prayed and stood in faith.
I had a tube down my nose that went into my stomach and wasn’t allowed to eat for 13 days. The nurses would joke as they hooked up my IV bag, “Here’s your steak dinner,” or “This one is pizza!” I didn’t even care, I was too sick to be hungry. God caused the hole to heal without surgery. Once again, doctors were amazed, and somewhere, my story is written down in medical journals.
The Dead Shall Rise – When Ed and I lived in Okeechobee, Florida, we were in a church service when suddenly a man in the congregation fell over during worship service. I was up on the platform with the worship team.
The church rallied together and prayed.
A resident Nurse Practitioner (NP) ran over to the man and took his vitals. “He is dead,” she shouted, “Everybody pray!” Someone dialed 911 and she started CPR. The man was not reviving. Again, the NP yelled out something like, “He’s gone. Pray harder!” The church began to cry out and pray with all their might. Suddenly, the man sat up. He had come back to life. People began to sob and give thanks to God. When the ambulance attendants examined him, he showed no signs of a heart attack or any other issues.
Babies are conceived – I’ve lost count of how many miracle babies we have prayed for. We have had the opportunity and pleasure to pray for many that had been trying for years and years to become pregnant but had no results. They continued to believe and God touched and healed them and caused them to conceive.
Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. These are just a few stories of our Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord who heals.
It can be difficult to keep on when you are in pain, or things just don’t seem to change, but I am here today to remind you, don’t give up!
There is a song that a learned as a teenager that I feel expresses things so well, it says:
If the struggle you’re facing is slowly replacing your hope with despair.
If the process is long and you’re losing your song in the night.
You can be sure that the Lord has his hand on you,
Safe and secure He will never abandon you.
For you are His treasure and He finds His pleasure in you.
He who began a good work in you,
He who began a good work in me,
Will be faithful to complete it,
He’ll be faithful to complete,
He’ll be faithful to complete it in you!
“Heavenly Father, Jehovah Rapha, you are the Lord who heals. We agree together in the mighty name of Jesus for healing even as people read this word today. Your word tells us that you bore the stripes for our healing. I thank you for healed bodies, for deliverance from strongholds, and for freedom to individuals today. Hallelujah. I just sense that you are doing a work right now. Praise you Jesus. I see things breaking off and people being set free of pain and disease. I come against unbelief in Jesus name. I thank you that it is done, in Jesus name. Amen.”
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The picture shared with this article was taken by Cindy Smith, author and gifted photographer of “Traveling with Jesus.” Cindy’s passion is to combine God’s Word and His creation to encourage others. You can see more of Cindy’s beautiful photos on FB at “Traveling with Jesus.” https://www.facebook.com/TravelingWithJesus
