Friends,
Three days after the “watery” destruction of Pharaoh’s army, the liberated Israelites found themselves parched and “dying” of thirst. The Lord led them to Marah where they found water, but they quickly found the waters to be “bitter,” unsuitable for drinking and even sickening. The people grumbled and bitterly complained against Moses.
God quenched their thirst with another miracle, another sign of His power. But God also used this miracle to address the bitterness of their hearts, another sign of His love.
It was here that God offered His people protection from the plagues (literally diseases) they had witnessed in Egypt.
By earnestly remembering and obeying all the commands of the Lord, the people would be safe and healthy (Exodus 15:26).
That is a lot of backstory to get to the last phrase of verse 26, but that is exactly how the author of Genesis got there: “[God said] I am the Lord who heals you.” Here we find Jehovah Rophe.
In Bible times, God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was active bringing healing and safety to His people.
Is Jehovah Rophe with us and for us today, during this time of pandemic and quarantine?
Seeing God as Healer today can be challenging. We must admit that good and godly people have died from this coronavirus. And we know that good and godly people died from other diseases before this pandemic began. These were people we loved, prayed for, and even anointed.
It is okay to ask “Why?” but be prepared. Like Job, we may find ourselves confronted with answers far beyond our comprehension.
Can and does God heal today? Yes!
God’s healing can and may come in many forms, but “God’s ways are not (always) our ways” (Isaiah 55:8).
Does God use a supernatural “triage” process to determine who needs what when? Probably not. God knows our needs and meets our needs according to His will and His purposes. His ultimate purpose for mankind is to restore us to a perfect relationship with Him.
It is not the way we would prefer it, but God is more concerned about our spiritual wellbeing than the physical. God sees the bigger picture; He views us and our lives with an eye to eternity.
Blessings!
Pastor Ken
Photo by Graham Ruttan on Unsplash