Jehovah Rapha

By Samantha Rodriguez

“When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” Mark 6:53–56 (NIV)

In today’s Scripture, we get another glimpse into the fame Jesus had during His ministry. He traveled from town to town, and nearly everywhere He went people recognized Him. Why? Perhaps for His profound teaching and gentle spirit, but mainly for His healing power. This is why everyone ran with their sick to Jesus so He would heal them. They asked if they could just touch the edge of His cloak because they knew He was that powerful!

This scene can portray two different images: one of selfish motivation if the people only came to Jesus to receive a healing, and the other of immense faith in the One they believed could heal. We obviously will never know their intentions; however, we can draw from their example of bold faith and take the temperature of our own faith in comparison. 

If we read back a little bit in Mark 5, we see a specific instance where Jesus healed a woman once she merely touched the fringe of His garment. When Jesus spoke to her afterwards, He said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34). What a beautiful statement! I would love to hear those words come out of Jesus’ mouth regarding my faith, but my faith has to be that strong first.

Sometimes, it can be easy to get caught up in doubt and uncertainty when it comes to the supernatural power of God. When we can’t fully understand a concept or guarantee an outcome, we tend to minimize it to a size that can fit in our hands or an explanation that works in our minds, yet this is not what faith consists of. 

As the author of Hebrews puts it, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV). Our faith should therefore be in God and His promises. When we have faith in our God, who is Jehovah Rapha—the God who heals—we can approach Him with faith that He can and will heal whether it be on this side of heaven or not. 

Though it can sometimes be scary to approach God confidently for physical healing because we don’t always know if it will be granted to us, we do know that in God’s grace He’s already healed us eternally for our faith in Him! As Paul says in Ephesians, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV)! In view of this, may we approach Jesus as boldly as the crowds did, not solely for His power, but to worship Him in faith and love!

PAUSE: In what ways have you put false limits or constraints on God’s healing power in your mind and life?

PRACTICE: Approach the throne of God boldly today with faith in who He is. Worship and thank Him, but also pray and make real, bold requests.

PRAY: Father, I praise Your holy name because You are El Shaddai (the almighty God) and Jehovah Rapha (the God who heals). I ask that You would grant me stronger faith to believe confidently in Your promises even when I can’t see them. I ask that You heal me or a loved one in (you fill in the blank), but more importantly, I ask that You heal us spiritually. Thank You for Your salvation and redemption! Amen.