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.

Who Am I Lord? : You Are Mine

Song of Solomon 2:16 KJV

My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

Isaiah 43:1 KJV

But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

John 17:23 KJV

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV

But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Who Are You, Lord?

While Praying One Day A Woman Asked, 

"Who Are You, Lord?"

He Answered, "I Am". 

But, Who Is I Am? She Said.

And He Replied...

"I Am Love, I Am Peace,

I Am Grace, I Am Joy,

I Am The Way, Truth, And The Light ...

I Am The Comforter,

I Am Strength, I Am Safety,

I Am Shelter, I Am Power, I Am The Creator,

I Am The Beginning And The End,

I Am The Most High".

The Girl With Tears In Her Eyes Looked

Toward Heaven And Said,

"Now I Understand. 

But Lord, Who Am I?"

Then God Tenderly Wiped The Tears

From Her Eyes And Whispered,

"You Are Mine".

Mine. I hear that word countless times a day. "NO" and "MINE" are a toddler's favorite words I do believe. At 2 and 3 years old my boys understand the fierce possession that "mine" means. They're ready to brawl at the drop of a hat it seems like some days if one thinks that hat is his and not his brother's. But as possessive as they are over toys, sippy cups, or last week's chicken nugget found wedged under the car seat, they're even more so possessive of the people they love. One of Kieran's first fully formed sentences was "My Poppa. Baby get." when he thought that Nanna ought to hold Devlin so that Poppa could hold him.

But I am not sure more thrilling words have ever been uttered than these, "you are mine," when you know it's the Master and Savior whispering them to you.  And that is exactly what we are, His. He has chosen us, He has called us by name, we are His beloved, and He is in us and God the Father loves us as He has loved His only begotten Son. 

I have looked forward to writing this blog since we began the Who Are You Lord? series, and now that I am, I am simply speechless. I'm not at all sure that I can do it justice. I am not at all worthy to be called His.  Nothing I have ever said or done, or could do or say, can make me enough, save one thing. Making Him mine. I am His beloved and He is mine. Choosing Him means that His blood covers my weakness and my failings, covers my sin and washes me white as snow, makes me worthy in the sight of my Father. Knowing that I am His is, more often than not, the only thing that keeps me going, keeps me putting one foot in front of the other, keeps me from burying my head in the blankets and refusing to get out of bed. Because He is in me I can face another day full of the stresses of life and all that that entails. But sometimes it gets to be too much. There are times when I am overwhelmed and I can feel the panic rise in my throat and the tears spring up in my eyes and I know that the dam is about to burst...and then it does. And while I am falling apart He is picking up the pieces. And then I feel Him, so powerfully that He may as well be here in the flesh lifting my head up and giving me the peace and comfort,the strength and shelter, and love that I need so much.

For all that He has done for me, what can I do for Him? How do I repay Him? I must live for Him, to make Him proud of me, to worship and honor Him, to help others come to know Him so that they can be His too. Because we are bound to give thanks to Him always because He chose us from the beginning, He knew us before the foundations of the earth were formed. He knew who we'd be, what we'd do, and He chose to call us His anyway. 

My Beloved is mine and I am His.

Since I Am Thine, Lord

 H. W. Flickinger

Since I am Thine, Lord, and Thou art mine,

Purchased and kept by power divine;

Tho’ so unworthy, O let me be

Conscious that Thou art living in me.

Since I am Thine, Lord, and Thou art mine,

Tho’ but a branch whilst Thou art the vine;

Prune me and train me, that I may be

Fruitful in service, Master, for Thee.

Since I am Thine, Lord, and Thou art mine,

Oh, that through me Thy glory may shine;

Filled with Thy Spirit, grant me this plea:

That all shall see Thy likeness in me.

Since I am Thine, Lord, and only Thine,

Joy thrills my soul, for now Thou art mine;

Thou art in me and I am in Thee,

Thine all the praise and glory shall be.

Since I am Thine, Lord, saved by Thy grace,

Oh, how I long to see Thy dear face;

Help me to serve and patiently wait

Till I pass through the heavenly gate.

The Lifter Up of Mine Head

Psalms 3:3 KJV
But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

The Bible is a treasure trove. When I get in His Word, I never regret it. I learn something new every time I read my Bible.  Even if I have read the same passage 100 times, something new will speak to my heart.  His Holy Word is a living and breathing part of Him and if I want to get closer to Him I have to make the time every day to spend reading His Love Letter to me.  

I found this verse in January when I was desperately seeking solace in the immediate aftermath of our miscarriage.  It has become "my verse" and the verse for Help The Hurt Ministry.  I did something after this most recent miscarriage that I didn't do after the first one or when we lost Lachlan, I turned to Christ for my comfort.  I prayed and I cried out for comfort and understanding, I used Christian music to help soothe my soul, to just listen to and cry as the songs expressed my emotions, and I read my Bible.  

This verse tells me that Christ is a shield for me.  He is my shield, my protector.  I think about my boys and what I would do for them if they were in any kind of danger, or were hurting or crying out for help.  I would wrap my arms around them, pull them in tight against my chest and put my head on theirs, covering them with my body.  Shielding them, protecting them, with all the strength and power I had in me.  Now to think that in my pain of losing yet another precious baby, that is exactly what my Lord was doing for me.  He wrapped me in His arms, pulled me in tight against His chest and laid His head upon mine.  Loving me, protecting me, comforting me.

Psalms 3:3 tells me that Christ is my glory.  I am still experiencing the fallout from the miscarriage.  Various health issues that have sent me to the doctor as well as the mental impact it has had.  After struggling for 18 months to conceive again after our first miscarriage, there is always the fear that we will struggle again to have a baby.  There is the guilt and doubt, the worry and the shame, the feelings of inferiority and failure. Was it something I did, could I have prevented it, will it happen again, will I ever feel life growing in my womb again, I cannot even do the very thing that my body was designed to do, I am a failure at being a woman...But God...God tells me that He is my Glory.  He is all I need.  He is my magnificence, my splendor, my beauty, and my honor. If I fail at everything else in this life I will know I have done one thing right, I have accepted Him as my Savior and in doing that He has become my Glory.

He is the lifter up of mine head.  Too often in these days of grief, in these days of doubt, in these days of learning how to be a Christ like Momma, I find my head hung low, my attitude lower, and myself in tears. My boys hang their heads in shame and guilt when they've done something wrong, they lower their heads with tears streaming down their faces when they're hurt, they tuck their chins to their chests when they're being shy or unsure of something. They mirror exactly what they see me do. But what does He do? He lifts up our heads, He wipes away the tears, He loves and comforts us as no one else can or ever will. He gives us the strength and reassurance that we need to live another day in service for Him, to bring glory and honor to His name because that is our purpose here. My purpose in this life is to not only raise my boys but to raise them to know Christ as their Savior, no other job is more important than pointing another soul to Christ, especially those of our children. If we don't show them who Christ is, the world will show them everything He isn't. And to do this I must keep my head held high and my focus on Him, for He is my Shield, my Glory, and the Lifter Up of Mine Head.