Jehovah-Rapha: The God Who Heals

Scriptures: Matthew 8:1-3, Psalms 91:16, Isaiah 46:4, Psalms 90:10

Title: I Am Willing

Devotional Content:

The man bowed low before the Healer, covering his face with his tattered coat. Long ago, he had been banished from his home to live outside the city with others suffering the same affliction. This was his destiny until he was cured, no longer contagious, or simply dead. Coming out to meet the Healer brought great risk. Jewish law declared him unclean and forbid him from mingling with the public. He looked around nervously, alert for the law keepers and those who often threw rocks to keep people like him at a safe distance. 

By now, the disease was advanced. It had destroyed his nerve endings leaving unrecognizable clumps of damaged tissue where his toes, fingers and nose once had been. In spite of his repulsive appearance, the Healer reached out and touched him. He had not felt the touch of a human hand in so long. The touch alone held so much love it would have satisfied him. At that same moment, the lesions instantly disappeared, and his skin was restored as a curious power gently flowed through his body.

Amazed, the man made his way to the priest who would confirm his healing so he could be restored to his community. Only a few moments before, he had knelt before Jesus, worshipping in humble adoration. He acknowledged Jesus’ sovereignty over all things on heaven and earth and he demonstrated his faith. Even though his disease was seriously advanced, he still believed Jesus could heal him. Jesus showed him that his true value was on the inside, not the outside, and Jesus honored his deep reverence and submissiveness before the King.

Whatever your affliction today, you are worthy of His healing touch. God planned for you to live a long and satisfying life, and He promised to care for you throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age! Jesus showed His heart for you and for all when He told the leper He wanted to heal him. Worship Him now in holy fear and awe. Hear His gentle voice say, “I am willing.”  

Lord, I fall down on my knees and worship You! Thank You for making me worthy by Your blood! I believe You want to heal me. I believe it’s Your nature to heal. Nothing is too hard for You. You can make me well again. Touch me Lord! Let me hear You say, “Be healed.”

Scriptures: Matthew 14:1-14, Matthew 9:36, Psalms 145:8-9, Psalms 25:6, Zechariah 10:6

Title: The God of Compassion

Devotional Content:

Jesus went by boat to a remote area to be alone and grieve when He learned of His cousin’s fate. John the Baptist, who had paved the way for Jesus’ coming, was beheaded at the whim of a young girl doing her mother’s evil bidding. When the people heard where Jesus was going, they followed Him. Instead of finding solitude when He stepped off the boat, He found a vast crowd of needy people from many villages waiting for Him. Cripples, lepers, the blind and deaf, and hoards of sick people all shouted, “Teacher, touch me! Make me well again!” as they pushed and shoved toward Him, clamoring for His attention. He didn’t send them away. He had compassion on them and healed all who were sick. 

Jesus didn’t heal the pressing crowds just to prove He was sent from Heaven. He preached salvation by healing and saving people because He had deep compassion for the sick and oppressed. He could see they were like sheep without a shepherd. Their needs were so great, and they didn’t know where to go for help. Like lost sheep, they wandered aimlessly through life, sick and broken, alone and hopeless, desperate for a Shepherd who would love them, lead them, comfort them, and heal them. 

God has always been kind and merciful to His creation. He has shown His unfailing love and compassion throughout the ages. It was compassion that made Him restore Israel even though the people repeatedly failed to follow His commandments and heed His warnings to turn from their sin. It was compassion that overflowed in His heart when He healed the sick in spite of His own deep grief.

Today you may feel lost, but your Shepherd never stops looking for you. You may feel alone and misunderstood, but He is no stranger to your pain. He Himself endured much. He was mocked, spat on, whipped, and beaten beyond recognition. Nails pierced His hands and feet so you could be healed. He suffered and died to prove His love for you. He is the God of compassion. 

You are my Shepherd, Lord. I have wandered too long in this valley of pain and sickness. Too long have I lived in this shadow of death. Have compassion on me, Lord! Gather me in Your arms and carry me to safety! Lead me on Your pathway to health and restoration. 

Scriptures: Mark 9:14-29, Matthew 17:19-20, Matthew 14:23

Title: Help Me Not to Doubt!

Devotional Content:

The man stood on the fringe of the crowd, listening as the disciples and religious leaders argued over his son. He knew about the healing miracles Jesus and His disciples had performed. He brought his son today because he thought they could help him too. Since he was little, the boy was possessed by an evil spirit that rendered him deaf and mute. The spirit threw him into violent convulsions making him foam at the mouth and grind his teeth. The father came with hope, but now he wondered if all he had heard were just exaggerated stories.

As Jesus approached the crowd, the man explained, “I asked your disciples to heal my son, but they couldn’t do it.” Seeing Jesus, the evil spirit threw the boy into more convulsions. “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can!” cried the father. When Jesus challenged the man’s faith, he instantly replied, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Immediately, Jesus cast out the spirit and the boy was healed. 

When the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t heal the boy, He explained, “This kind can only be cast out by prayer.” In Matthew’s account, He told them they didn’t have enough faith. Their failure was likely due to their own unbelief, not the father’s doubt. Jesus was teaching them that prayer and faith are interrelated. The act of praying unlocks faith. Faith is sustained only through daily renewal and communicating with God. Jesus modeled this often when He went up on the mountainside to pray.

Jesus didn’t condemn this man for doubting. The man knew that faith wasn’t something he could conjure up on his own, but he could ask Jesus for more. Like the example of this father, Jesus knows how desperately you want to believe. Belief is not the result of a convincing intellectual argument, but an act of your will. It is choosing everyday to activate your faith through prayer, ignoring your doubts, and expecting Him to answer. The power of God plus a mustard seed of faith can move your mountain. 

Lord, I have read about Your healing miracles when You walked this earth. I have heard amazing stories about Your healing power today. You know my doubts and fears and how desperately I want to believe. Lord, I want more faith! I want to believe my miracle is possible. Please help me not to doubt! 

Scriptures: Mark 8:22-26, Psalms 90:2, Isaiah 55:8-9

Title: He is God

Devotional Content:

“Come quickly! The Healer is here!” they shouted at their friend. “Let’s ask Him to touch you and make you see!” He hurried along with them, anticipating the miracle that could change his life forever. Pushing through the crowd, he joined them in clamoring around the Healer he couldn’t see. “Teacher, this man is blind. Please touch him and heal him!” his friends begged. He fully expected to be healed at that moment, but instead, Jesus took his hand and led him to the outskirts of the village away from the crowd. Then He stopped and did the strangest thing. Ptuh! He spit on his eyes! “Can you see anything now?” Jesus asked. To his amazement, the darkness was gone! He blinked, straining to see, but the images were unclear. He felt Jesus touch his eyes again. This time, his vision cleared and the images were sharp. His sight was completely restored. He could see! 

This man’s healing did not come in the way he expected. Jesus took him outside the village away from the people, and He spat on his eyes. He didn’t heal him right away. He chose to heal the man in stages. In doing so, He may have wanted to show His followers that healing is not always instantaneous. His divine power over sickness sometimes works gradually, and not always on our time table or in the way we expect. Or, He may have wanted to show us that blessing flows from a place of intimacy when we make time to be alone with Him.

Don’t be discouraged if your healing comes slowly or in stages. Instead, choose to be thankful in each stage of the process. God has the entire spiritual and material realm at His disposal, and He has purposes far greater than your human mind can understand. Let Him pull you away from the crowd, away from everything else that competes for your attention. He is God, the Creator of all things. He is God, from beginning to end.

Lord, how great You are! Your ways are far beyond anything I can imagine. Take me “outside the village” where I can be alone with You and away from the things that crowd You out of my life. Take me to that place of intimacy with You where my healing can be complete, in Your perfect time and in Your perfect way. 

Scriptures: Luke 11:6-13, Luke 18:1-8, Romans 8:31

Title: Pit Bull Prayers

Devotional Content:

Ed battled a rare blood disorder, and there was nothing more his doctor could do. “You need to get your affairs in order,” he advised. While pastors and prayer ministers from his church held prayer vigils, Ed went through His Bible, pulling out every promise that countered what the doctor said. He wrote the scriptures on sticky notes and tacked them all around his hospital room. He wrote them on note cards and declared them out loud over and over. The doctor still insisted, “You need to get your affairs in order.” One by one, the prayer ministers dropped off their watch. Many thought he was in denial. “You need to get your affairs in order,” they said. Ed persisted. Only a few remained who stood in agreement with him. Like a pit bull fighting for a piece of steak, he would not let go of God’s promises. In the end, he walked out of the hospital with his affairs untouched. He was healed.

To encourage you to never give up, Jesus told a story of a persistent widow. She had a dispute with an enemy and repeatedly took her request for justice to the judge who kept ignoring her. This judge neither feared God nor cared about people, but he finally gave her justice because her persistence wore him out. Instead of praying in faith with shameless persistence, we often pray backward. We receive before we believe. We pray a few times, and if we don’t receive what we need, we give up. Our persistence can be hindered by weariness and unbelief. But we can be confident He will answer our cries for help. Even the evil judge relented and rendered a just decision. How much more will a loving Father respond to your persistent prayers? God will surely give justice to those who cry out to him day and night! 

Persistent prayer is an expression of faith that God hears and God answers. The key is trusting that He’s working on your behalf because you are His child and He is always on your side. Keep on praying and never give up. Pray like a pit bull!

Lord, help me to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking! Remember Your promises to me, Lord! You are the God who heals and restores! Please give me the faith to persist, to cry out to You day and night when the answers come slowly.

Scriptures: Psalms 22:3, 2 Chronicles 20:10-26, Acts 16:16-34, James 4:7, Romans 8:37

Title: He Dwells in Your Praises

Devotional Content:

When King Jehoshaphat heard that a mighty army was mounting an attack against him, he cried out for God to rescue the people. As the enemy approached, God sent word that the battle was His, not theirs, and they would not even need to fight! The next day, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army to give praise to the Lord. At the sound of their voices, the Lord set the enemy armies into confusion, and they fought against one another. Not a single one escaped, and not a single Israelite was killed; it took them three days to collect all the plunder. 

Nearly a thousand years later, Paul and Silas were thrown in jail in Macedonia for preaching the Gospel. They were severely beaten and placed in stocks in an inner dungeon cell to make sure they wouldn’t escape. Around midnight, they were praying and singing hymns to God, when suddenly, a massive earthquake shook the prison to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 

Some days, your battle against sickness may feel like a mighty army is marching against you, leaving you little chance of victory. You may feel bound in chains with no hope of escape. When you are fighting for your life, singing praises to the Lord may be the last thing on your mind, but praise is the most powerful weapon you have at your disposal when the enemy attacks. 

Expressing your love for God through praise can push the darkness out of your circumstances. God does not dwell in the darkness. He is not found in your sickness. He dwells in your praises. Lifting Him high in praise and worship literally changes the atmosphere. Praise sets the enemy running because he can’t dwell in the presence of God. 

Your battle for healing is not yours to fight. Send your praises on ahead. Sing hymns of praise in your prison of sickness. Watch the enemy scatter in confusion. Watch the chains fall off and the prison doors open. The enemy may have formed an army against you, but your victory is assured in Christ.

Lord, a vast army marches against me! I cry out for You to rescue me. I am held captive in this prison of sickness, and I can’t escape these chains. But I praise you Lord! I lift Your name on high!

Scriptures: Hebrews 13:8, Luke 9:1-2, Luke 10:1, Luke 10:9, Mark 16:15-18, Romans 15:18-19, John 14:12

Title: He Does Not Change

Devotional Content:

He was a pastor who carried God’s message of salvation to the indigenous people in South America. One day, he was summoned by a villager to come quickly to the bedside of a dying infant. The mother believed that Jesus could save her child. What she didn’t know was that he came from a background that believed God healed in the past, but not today, and that the gifts of the Spirit were only for Bible times. He looked at the desperate mother, her eyes pleading for her child’s life, and the impossible situation facing him. Not knowing what else to do, and knowing full well his unbelief, he prayed for Jesus to heal the child. Jesus did, and this pastor’s ministry changed forever.

In His own ministry, Jesus didn’t explain through words alone that He had come to forgive sins and give eternal life. Traveling throughout Galilee, He combined preaching with healing the sick and expelling demons as a demonstration of the fullness of Gospel. And He didn’t stop there. First, He sent out His disciples with power and authority to do the same things He was doing. Then, He extended the same mission to all believers. The ministry of the apostles further showed that healing and miracles were a central and vital part of the early Church and God’s message to the world. In convincing the Gentiles by miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit, the Apostle Paul said he had fully presented the Good News.

Jesus wants to do everything through His people now that He did when He was here on the earth. He said anyone who believes in Him will do the same works He has done and even greater works. This woman with the sick child took Jesus at His word. She needed more from this pastor than just hearing the message of salvation. She needed him to fully present the Good News. She expected to experience the power of Jesus through him. Jesus healed then, and He heals now. He does not change.

Lord, forgive me for doubting that Your healing power is available today. Thank You for the gift of eternal life. I want more than a Gospel of head knowledge and the promise of salvation. I want a Gospel of power. I take You at your word, Lord. You are Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals.