Jehovah Rapha The Lord who heals
Notes
Transcript
This Sunday will be a little different.
Today, we are making space — intentional space — to seek the Lord for healing.
Not because we believe in hype.
Not because we are chasing emotions.
Not because we think we can control God.
But because the Bible tells us to come to Him,
—Especially when we are hurting—
Some of you walked in today carrying pain no one else sees.
Some of you have diagnoses you never wanted.
Some of you are exhausted in body, mind, or spirit.
And the question becomes:
Does God care about our physical suffering?
Does He still heal?
And if He does… what are we supposed to do about it?
Today we answer those questions straight from Scripture.
Before we ever talk about oil, prayer, or a service like this — we must start with God who is and is known by many names.
One of which was revealed to us for the first time in Exodus 15:26, Jehovah Rapha—translated, “God who heals.”
It is this name we will calling on today. Jehovah Rapha—God who heals.
This name covers healing for the body, soul, and spirit, including the mending of "broken things".
It is the primary healing name of God in the Bible along with other similar variations such as "The Lord Who Heals", "The Lord Our Healer," or "The Lord Who Makes Whole".
Revealed in Exodus 15:26, this name signifies God as the restorer of physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
Jehovah Rapha was revealed after the Israelites’ bitter water was made sweet at Marah, indicating God as a provider of restoration and health.
26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”
Jesus in the New Testament, acts as the embodiment of Jehovah-Rapha, healing the sick, curing diseases, and bearing infirmities, as noted in
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
And later followed up by the Apostle Matthew Speaking of Jesus in
17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”
So you see, Healing is not a side hobby of God, but rather it flows from His nature.
Throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself not only as:
Savior of our souls
Forgiver of our sins
Lord of our eternity
But also as our Healer.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
We Christians must understand, “Healing” is not separate from salvation — it is part of the compassion of God toward us.
A Broken humanity.
Sin broke the world, and Disease entered through the fall.
But from Genesis to Revelation, we see a God who moves toward suffering, not away from it.
If anyone would want to know the heart of God — look at Jesus.
Everywhere Jesus went, notice, he didn’t just preach — He healed.
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Healing was not a distraction from His mission.
But rather, His healing was a demonstration of His mission.
It showed:
His compassion
His authority
And his power over the effects of sin
When Jesus healed:
People who were once blind, were given their sight.
Paralyzed legs walked
Fevers left
Lepers were cleansed
And often the Bible says about Jesus that,
“He was moved with compassion.”
Healing is not about the spectacle, or the publicity.
It is about the heart of a compassionate Savior.
Ive heard many say, “Well that was just for Jesus.”
But Scripture shows us He gave this ministry to His followers.
12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
Notice that.
Anointed with oil… and healed them.
Healing prayer was not limited to Jesus’ physical presence.
It became part of the ministry of His people.
Now we come to the clearest passage explaining why we are doing this today comes from
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Lets be clear!
This is not a suggestion.
These are instructions to the church.
Let’s break it down.
A. “Is anyone among you sick?”
A. “Is anyone among you sick?”
This acknowledges a simple truth:
Even believers get sick.
Faith does not make us immune to living in a fallen world.
But sickness becomes a reason to draw near to God, not drift away.
B. “Let him call for the elders of the church”
B. “Let him call for the elders of the church”
Healing prayer is not meant to be experienced in isolation.
One of the enemy’s traps is to convince us to suffer alone —
To keep our pain, sickness, and struggles hidden
it could be for a variety of reasons,
Embarrassment, pride, fear, or the belief that no one would understand.
But God never designed His people to walk through affliction by themselves.
The Church is a body, a family, a place
where burdens are shared and grace is experienced together.
Just yesterday, while visiting family in the Chicagoland area, I learned that three of my own relatives have been quietly
carrying serious afflictions for quite some time — and none of us even knew. \
They had been hurting in silence.
How often does that happen in our churches?
People sitting just a few pews away, carrying heavy burdens, longing for
prayer, yet suffering quietly because no one knows.
Healing prayer becomes powerful when it moves from private silence into faithful community..
It happens in the context of the body of Christ.
Why?
Because we are to carry one another’s burdens.
Because we are to stand in faith together.
And because no one should suffer alone.
C. “Anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord”
C. “Anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord”
The oil is not magic, rather it is a symbol.
In Scripture, oil represents:
The presence of the Holy Spirit
Being set apart for God
God’s touch upon a life
When we anoint with oil, we are saying:
“This person belongs to the Lord.”
We are placing them under
His care,
His authority,
His healing power.”
The power is not in the oil.
The power is in the Lord’s name, in this case Jehovah Rapha, The Lord who heals
D. “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up”
D. “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up”
Notice carefully:
It does not say the elders will heal.
It does not say the oil will heal.
It says clearly, “The Lord will raise him up.”
God is the healer.
We are simply obedient servants who pray.
Now, Sometimes He heals instantly.
Sometimes gradually.
Sometimes in ways we just plain will never understand.
So,
Continue taking your prescribed medication
Continue seeing your doctors
Healing and medicine are not enemies
Luke was a physician!
We trust God works through prayer and through medical care.
So regardless of how God decides to handle your particular affliction continue praying
We continue praying because:
He commands it
He is able
He is compassionate
James continues:
“And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”
This reminds us that God’s healing is holistic.= Meaning the whole YOU, not just parts of you
God cares about:
Your body
Your mind
Your heart
Your soul
Now understand something here,
Sometimes physical sickness has no spiritual cause.
Meaning, sometimes we’ll just have to wait until we see Jesus to ask him personally why this or that happened
But other times, suffering can reveal areas where we need:
Forgiveness, Surrender, and Peace with God
So, A healing service is not just about pain leaving.
It is about drawing near to Jesus in our weakness.
And the body of Christ bringing the weak before the Lord in prayer.
So why a healing service?
Because:
We believe God still heals
We believe the Bible still applies
We believe prayer still matters
And We believe Jesus is still compassionate
We are not promising miracles on demand.
We are not putting on a show.
We are simply obeying Scripture:
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Today we are creating space for obedience, faith, and hope.
Now as we pray for the sick today, come with:
Humility
Faith
And Surrender
1. Humility
1. Humility
Because we are not demanding from God — we are trusting Him.
2. Faith
2. Faith
Not faith in a person.
Not faith in oil.
But with faith in Jesus Christ, the Healer.
3. Surrender
3. Surrender
“Lord, we ask for healing for such and such, … but above all, we will trust Your will.”
Remember, even when Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, He said:
“Not My will, but Yours be done.”
Closing
Closing
Church, we serve a Savior who:
Touched lepers
Stopped for blind beggars
Heard desperate parents
And still hears His people today
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
So today, we come to the same Jesus.
With the same needs.
Believing in the same power.
Trusting in the same love.
And we pray — not because we understand everything —
but because He told us to come.
So, in that spirit,
I’ll ask that some soft music begin to play,
And if you brought someone with you today, please escort them down to the altar and kindly stand with them as we make our way to them.
If you are here alone, or you would like healing prayers, feel free to make your way down to the altar, we will be here to meet you.
