June 2010

Healing: Does God Desire It?

Exodus 15:26 - And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer."

The word used for Lord here is Jehovah ‘Eternal or Self Existing one’
The word for healer is [ Rapha (raw-faw)] properly to mend (by stitching), that is, (figuratively) to cure: - cure, (cause to) heal, physician, repair, X thoroughly, make whole.

Jehovah Ropha is My Healer and the One who makes bitter experiences sweet. You sent Your Word and healed me. You forgave all my iniquities and You healed all my diseases.
Psalm 147:3, Exodus 15:23-26, Psalm 107:20, Psalm 103:3

It is the same word found in Psalm147:3 ‘He heals the broken hearted’
Also in Psalm 107:20 ‘He sent forth His word and healed them’
And also in Psalm 103:3 ‘Who heals you from all your diseases’

The big question we all ask of course even when we see God heal others is well, will God heal me? The answer of course lies with God but when we can get a glimpse of God’s heart for His people we can see that healing is very firmly on His agenda.
Remember He is Jehovah Rapha the Lord your healer.

When he sent His Son Jesus on Earth, the major part of His ministry was spent saving and healing people, indeed some 38% of it. He did not come to be a banker and save peoples money. He did not come to be a social worker [although the truest definition of what a social worker is he fulfilled.] He was not involved in popular music or the media, although all have made a lot of money through Jesus being the imitation of His Father, doing what He saw His Father doing. Saving and healing people.

Back to our text Exodus 15:26.
God had already delivered the people of Israel from their captivity in Egypt. All God wanted for His people [The same as any Father] was for His children to listen to His loving voice and hear it and obey it this is the surest way to safe and healthy living.

God had sent plagues upon the Egyptians so that He would cause them to listen Exodus 7-12
[Plague of Blood 7:14-25, Frogs 8:1-15, Gnats 8:16-19, Flies 8:20-32,
On Livestock 9:1-7, Boils 9:8-12, Hail 9:13-35, Locusts 10:1-20, Darkness 10:21-29, Firstborn 11:1-9,
Passover 11:1-30] this was ultimately followed by Pharoah letting the people of Israel go, however in the cold light of day he realised he would be without a workforce and sent his troops to get them back. God caused Moses to have great Faith. Moses stretched out his hand and God used a strong wind to part the sea and dry out the land. The Israelites then crossed the sea and the Egyptian army followed them. God told Moses to stretch out his arm again and the waters came back down and drowned Pharoah and his army. What a great deliverance from God for the people of Israel. The biggest disease the people of Israel suffered from was dealt with instantly. God is on the side of his people. Of course it was due also to the obedience of Moses, if he had not done what the Lord had said, captivity would once again have followed.

Obedience:
Exodus 23:22 ‘But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.’
Deuteronomy 11:13 ‘It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul’
Deuteronomy 15:4-5 ‘However, there will be no poor among you, since the LORD will surely bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you listen obediently to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today.
Deuteronomy 28:1 "Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

Of course we serve a God of mercy and love and we cannot put limitations on his grace. Experience has shown however that if we approach God in the right way with humble and penitent hearts we find we can often receive more from Him. It is a case of agreeing with the truth, God is right, very often we are not.
The word of God says James 4:6 - But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble"

Repentance for wrong doing
Hezekiah’s prayer of Repentance:
2Kings 20:2-6 Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, ‘Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. "I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for My servant David's sake."

Psalm 25:11 For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
Psalm 103:3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases
Psalm 107:20,
Jeremiah 30:17 'For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'Because they have called you an outcast, saying: "It is Zion; no one cares for her."
Hosea 11:1-4 When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. The more they called them, The more they went from them; They kept sacrificing to the Baals And burning incense to idols. Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.

Back to the Exodus. All the time the people of God were obedient to what God had said they were blessed with health
Deuteronomy 29:5 "I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot.’
The passage in Exodus where we started was spoken by God after they had come to the bitter waters of Marah. God instructed Moses to throw a stick into the waters and the waters were made sweet.
Many people make the mistake that God should heal them on their terms, or try to blackmail God for their healing. 2 Kings 5

Obedience to the Lord with humility touches the heart of God to heal. It is His desire. We have seen the most profound miracles of healing take place over many years and yet there have been many such times where healing has not taken place because God is Sovereign and as it says in Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Healing in the Old Testament was an Act of Sovereign Mercy and Grace by God the Father Through His people and towards His people. By healing His people and releasing them from captivity, God was showing us His intention of the Ministry the Church [Gods People] were to continue in. Jesus the last of the Old Testament Prophets and the First of the New Testament, demonstrated God’s heart and will to a damaged, lost and lonely people. Many times the Lord healed outside of the people of God, He reached out with love and compassion to those who needed it.

If you approach God today and say ‘I do not have enough faith, Remember God Is Faithful. [2 Timothy 2:13] It does please God when we have faith, but sometimes we cannot come up to other peoples standards. It hurts sometimes to be super Christian, but God knows exactly where you are. It is more to do with His Mercy and Love.
Remember that on the cross The Lord Jesus took all our sin in His Body so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds we have been healed

Maybe you have realised that you need to be forgiven and restored. Do not worry, The Lord Jesus is ready to receive you as soon as you ask to know Him as Lord. Jesus Christ has paid for your sin, my sin and every ones sin by living a life free from sin and dying in our place so that we might know forgiveness of sin, and freedom eternally from the power of death.

Remember you can only deal with your own sin. Everyone has to answer to God for what they have done, but God is merciful and will forgive them too, when they are ready to come to Him. He will always accept you, and makes you the offer now of real, genuine love and resurrection life.

You need to say sorry to God for having offended Him by your sinful actions, and choose to walk in His ways instead. Ask Him to forgive you for your sins, repent of your sins and tell God you need His help to stop living in a way that pleases you, and tell him you want to live to please Him.

Invite Jesus Christ to come and be Lord of your life. Thank Him that He has bought you back from the road of darkness and destruction by giving His life for you, and releasing you from the burdens of rejection, guilt and shame. Bringing you fully into His wonderful light. Thank Jesus for this, and acknowledge His death and resurrection and ask His Holy Spirit to come into you right now and give you the power to change and you will find real acceptance in Him and He himself will show you the way forward.

Next step is to tell someone you have received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and find a church that really loves Jesus and lives for Him.

It will not be easy but will be the greatest and most joyful decision you have ever made.

If you have made this decision today E.Mail us and we will send you a Gospel of John and some helps to get you started in your new and exciting walk with Jesus.