Jehovah-Rapha: The God Who HealsSample

Title: He is God

Devotional Content:

“Come quickly! The Healer is here!” they shouted at their friend. “Let’s ask Him to touch you and make you see!” He hurried along with them, anticipating the miracle that could change his life forever. Pushing through the crowd, he joined them in clamoring around the Healer he couldn’t see. “Teacher, this man is blind. Please touch him and heal him!” his friends begged. He fully expected to be healed at that moment, but instead, Jesus took his hand and led him to the outskirts of the village away from the crowd. Then He stopped and did the strangest thing. Ptuh! He spit on his eyes! “Can you see anything now?” Jesus asked. To his amazement, the darkness was gone! He blinked, straining to see, but the images were unclear. He felt Jesus touch his eyes again. This time, his vision cleared and the images were sharp. His sight was completely restored. He could see! 

This man’s healing did not come in the way he expected. Jesus took him outside the village away from the people, and He spat on his eyes. He didn’t heal him right away. He chose to heal the man in stages. In doing so, He may have wanted to show His followers that healing is not always instantaneous. His divine power over sickness sometimes works gradually, and not always on our time table or in the way we expect. Or, He may have wanted to show us that blessing flows from a place of intimacy when we make time to be alone with Him.

Don’t be discouraged if your healing comes slowly or in stages. Instead, choose to be thankful in each stage of the process. God has the entire spiritual and material realm at His disposal, and He has purposes far greater than your human mind can understand. Let Him pull you away from the crowd, away from everything else that competes for your attention. He is God, the Creator of all things. He is God, from beginning to end.

Lord, how great You are! Your ways are far beyond anything I can imagine. Take me “outside the village” where I can be alone with You and away from the things that crowd You out of my life. Take me to that place of intimacy with You where my healing can be complete, in Your perfect time and in Your perfect way.