The Names of God: Jehovah-Rapha

Jehovah-Rapha: The LORD That Healeth

Exodus 15:26 KJV

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Tonight I found myself requesting prayer of my prayer warriors for two Mommas with newborns, in two very different circumstances. 

The first Momma has a long history of drug abuse, of which I do not know all of the details. She is the Momma to three children, having custody of only one. While in a hospital this week awaiting a bed in a rehab facility after having completed detox, she delivered a son, her fourth child. Her Momma has requested prayer for her daughter and her grandson. 

The second Momma, has four children, and was overdue with baby number five this week. Having had an uncomplicated pregnancy with each of her babies, and with this one as well, she was planning a homebirth. Tonight she sits in a hospital, over a thousand miles away from her immediate family,  awaiting the delivery of her baby in the morning. Her baby, whom doctors have confirmed is already gone. 

Two Mommas. One struggling. One thriving. 

Two babies. One living. One departed.  

Broken hearts in need of healing left in the wake of circumstances unforeseen.

Broken hearts in need of Jehovah-Rapha, The LORD That Healeth. 

He is truly the only one capable of mending the lives and hearts of these Mommas and these families torn apart by addiction and death. There is none other that can bear the heavy burden life has given these women to carry. There is not a condolence or a kind word that can be uttered by mortal lips to soothe the grieving these Mommas are facing tonight. I would ask that you take a moment to utter a prayer for these Mommas in the days, weeks, months, and even years ahead as they go on living their lives, their future uncertain right now. Because "grief never ends...But it changes. It's a passage, not a place to stay Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith...it is the price of love" (Author Unknown). Pray for healing, pray for comfort, pray for peace. These can only come by the Lord. If Jehovah-Rapha can heal a nation, He can heal the brokenhearted. 

And we have all borne the grief and pain of a brokenheart at some point in our lives. Whether it has been addiction or death, disease or divorce, financial or family crisis, we have each been in need of Jehovah-Rapha's divine healing. It is my own experience that gives me that faith to know that He will heal these Mommas, of this I have no doubt. It will not be overnight. It may not even happen in the next year. But the moment they turn their hearts to Him, His healing will begin. 

Psalms 3:3 KJV

But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

Psalms 30:5 KJV

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

It Singeth Low In Every Heart

To the tune of Auld Lang Syne

It singeth low in every heart,

We hear it each and all;

A song of those who answer not,

However we may call.

They throng the silence of the breast;

We see them as of yore;

The kind, the true, the brave, the sweet,

Who walk with us no more.

’Tis hard to take the burden up,

When these have laid it down;

They brightened all the joy of life,

They softened every frown.

But, Oh, ’tis good to think of them

When we are troubled sore;

Thanks be to God that such have been,

Though they are here no more.

More home-like seems the vast unknown

Since they have entered there;

To follow them were not so hard,

Wherever they may fare.

They cannot be where God is not,

On any sea or shore;

Whate’er betides, Thy love abides,

Our God, forevermore.

The Names of God: Jehovah-Jireh

Jehovah-Jireh: The LORD Will Provide

Genesis 22:14 KJV

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Jehovah-Jireh, The LORD Will Provide. I have so many testimonies, so many blessings I could write about in affirmation of this name of God. So many times in my life and in the lives of my family and my church family when the LORD has provided, has seen to our needs in ways we did not think possible. Jehovah-Jireh sees each and every one of us, sees what we stand in need of and provides for us in ways we cannot fathom, just as He has always done. 

Abraham was the first to use this name of God after God provided for Himself a lamb to sacrifice on Mount Moriah. Abraham took a staggering leap of faith when he left that day to walk with Isaac up on the mountain. But he never doubted that they would both return. He told the men who had made the journey with them that together he and Isaac would go and worship and together they would return. He never doubted, even for a second that Isaac would return with him, even telling Isaac that God would provide Himself a burnt offering. His faith was rewarded in God's provision of the ram. God knew that Abraham was willing to give all he had to God, even his own flesh and blood, and so He blessed him with the promise that Abraham's seed would multiply as the stars of the heaven and the sands of the sea shore. And God continued to provide for the children of Israel throughout their generations.  

And we can be sure today that beyond our physical needs and wants, beyond all things worldly and temporal, our eternal needs have been provided for as well. Jehovah-Jireh provided for Himself a sacrifice once again in His Son Jesus Christ, a Lamb more pure than any other, perfect and without blemish. Once we accept His Son as our Savior, we need not ever worry again about the trails and tribulations of this life. That is not to say that we will not endure them as children of God, but that we have the assurance that regardless of the outcome of our trials,they are only temporary. Our eternal provisions have been made. My earthly home may be small, may be old, may not be fancy and may need many repairs, but my Lord has gone to prepare a place for me, a mansion in gloryland, that mortal hands could never craft. My earthly car may be outdated, scratched, dented, and in need of repairs, but praise God I'll not need it when I leave this wretched body behind and my feet touch the streets of gold that await me in Paradise. My clothes may not be fashionable, may not fit just right,and  my boys may wear hand-me-downs, but that's just fine, because my Savior is standing at the right hand of the Father, ready to adorn us in robes of white and crowns of glory.

There may be much you stand in need of tonight, but there is nothing that Jehovah-Jireh cannot provide, temporal or eternal, we must simply put our faith in Him and ask. We must be willing to take that staggering leap of faith as Abraham did and trust that God will provide for His own. We must lay our Isaac down, whatever that may be. We must be prepared to give God our all, our most precious possessions, our time, our lives, and serve Him. When we give Him our lives in service, He sees to every need, He provides at every turn and in every circumstance.

He is Jehovah-Jireh, the LORD Who Provides.

When I Lay My Isaac Down

Abraham prayed for the day 

God would give him a son 

Blessed Isaac was his name 

The greatest gift he’d ever known 

Then came the day, who would have dreamed 

God would say “Give him to me

On this mountain you will prove, 

It’s you and Isaac, or it’s me and you”

When I lay my Isaac down 

Broken heart but my Fathers proud 

On this altar here he lays 

Just to find it wasn’t him, God wanted me

Most of us I’d dare to say 

Have an Isaac in God’s way 

On the Altar God will prove 

It’s not your Isaac that he wants 

He wants you

When I lay my Isaac down 

Broken heart but my Fathers proud 

On this altar here he lays 

Just to find it wasn’t him, God wanted me