Jehovah-rapha

"For I am the LORD who heals you." Exodus 15:26 (NKJV)

Here's something you'll never hear: a person who has sincerely and unreservedly opened his or her heart to the Lord saying, "I was better off before!"

This doesn't mean a believer won't experience trials and tribulations. In fact, Jesus promised we would (John 16:33). But we need to make a distinction between what the Lord allows outside of us and what He does inside of us. Outwardly, things won't always appear better. Inwardly, though, God is always up to something good. He's always improving us on the inside.

That's what He does, because that's who He is, and this is represented by His name, Jehovah-rapha. This word rapha is used over sixty times in the Old Testament, and its translation usually indicates something to do with healing or being healed, like here in Exodus 15:26. But we need to understand that the word rapha is not limited to that. It can also mean "repair," "restore," or simply "make better."

A lot of times, we look at a name describing the Lord as our healer and limit it to a physical meaning. Of course, God can and does physically heal His people when it's according to His will. But Jehovah-rapha is much bigger than that. In a more comprehensive sense, God makes us better in totality, and people who have opened their lives to Him will surely agree!

Jehovah-rapha never leaves His people worse off. His influence upon us is always positive. He's constantly repairing, restoring, and improving them on the inside, because that's part and parcel with who He is. We come to Him with shattered and broken hearts. He receives us, and He begins a process of repairing and restoring us—of making us better than before. And it's all because He is Jehovah-rapha.

Think about it…

What does this passage reveal to me about God? 
What does this passage reveal to me about myself? 
Based on this, what changes do I need to make? 
What is my prayer for today?

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