2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Lord keeps leading me to be reminded of the two parallel truths of the universe: 1) His sovereignty and 2) our responsibility to respond to it. This goes to the very heart of the dynamic, two-way relationship He wants us to have with Him. It is reflected in the experiences of our lives as well as in the Scriptures He gives us to study and believe. Since we are looking at His role as Jehovah Rapha, the God Who heals, we can see in today’s citations more about how this relationship is put into practice.
In JER 30, Jeremiah wrote about the restoration of the then divided Jewish nation, Israel and Judah, which is to take place after the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” the Tribulation. This chapter is a beautiful example of where both the parallel truths can be seen. JER 30: 8-11, “The Lord Almighty says, ‘When that day comes, I will break the yoke that is around their neck and remove their chains, and they will no longer be the slaves of foreigners. Instead, they will serve Me, the Lord their God, and a Descendant of David, Whom I will enthrone as King.’ ‘My people, do not be afraid; people of Israel, do not be terrified. I will rescue you from that faraway land, from the land where you are prisoners. You will come back home and you will be secure, and no one will make you afraid. I will come to you and save you. I will destroy all the nations where I have scattered you, but I will not destroy you. I will not let you go unpunished; but when I punish you, I will be fair. I, the Lord, have spoken.’” What compassion and righteousness there is in this plan! How fair God is when He allows people to know ahead that while they are being punished, as any parent needs to punish his unruly children, He would not destroy them. In all of this we can certainly see God exercising His sovereign power too. Yet, in doing so He offers an underlying invitation. He wants His children to turn away from their sins, so that they close the way to their destruction as individuals. That is the same invitation to respond that our loving Abba has put out to us today.
JER 30: 15-17 reveals the heart of Jehovah Rapha. “Complain no more about your injuries; there is no cure for you. I punished you like this because your sins are many and your wickedness is great. But now, all who devour you will be devoured, and all your enemies will be taken away as prisoners. All who oppress you will be oppressed, and all who plunder you will be plundered. I will make you well again; I will heal your wounds, though your enemies say, ‘Zion is an outcast; no one cares about her.’ I, the Lord, have spoken.” This is the very same prophecy that we see in DN 2: 34-35 [God revealing to Daniel in response to Nebuchadnezzar’s giant statue dream that He would eventually establish His permanent, eternal Kingdom]. The Psalmist who wrote PS 147 gives us another picture of Jehovah Rapha in this song of praise of God Almighty. PS 147: 1-3, “Praise the Lord! It is good to sing praise to our God; it s pleasant, and right to praise Him. The Lord is restoring Jerusalem; He is bringing back the exiles. He heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds.” These citations emphasize how we can respond to God’s sovereignty, opening the way for healing not available from any other source. We are to take His righteously applied punishment without complaint, knowing justice to those who oppress us will be meted out by Him in His own perfect time. We are not to lose faith or be defeated by those who taunt and oppress us. Instead, we are to praise the Lord for His willingness to heal our wounds. While we may not be in exile in Babylonia, we can see how these principles apply in our own lives. Any kind of sin is a form of imprisonment, because it keeps us from proximity to the Father. His Son has made the freedom from sin possible for us by His work on the cross, but we must make the choice to turn from even the most subtle sins in our lives.
The Christmas/Chanukah/ New Year holiday time can be one of the most stressful times of the year. It is a time when toxic relationships seem to flare up, economic hardship due to companies laying off workers happens, and materialism is rampant. This bleak view of the holidays is sadly a part of the reality of them. However, there is healing available. When we remember that Christmas trees, Santa Claus, drinking alcohol, and gifts are not the real point, we take the first steps toward that healing. Instead, we can focus on the birth of our Lord and Savior. Our minds can be opened to the understanding of what a great blessing to sin-weary mankind He is. While Jesus Christ probably wasn’t born on Dec. 25th, it is wholly appropriate that we set aside one day of the year in an effort to remind ourselves of the love that our Father, our Jehovah Rapha, has for us in making the greatest sacrifice ever made-that of His only Son on the cross-so that we could be healed of the wounds sin has left on us. The words of Jeremiah in JER 17: 14 let us know the attitude our Abba wants us to take. “Lord, heal me and I will be completely well; rescue me and I will be perfectly safe. You are the One I praise!”
PRAYER: O Lord, You want us to know the extent of Your sovereignty over our lives and our history. To that end, You reveal it in many Scriptures. Yet, that is not all You want us to know. It is Your will that we should know how to respond to Your sovereignty. No man, except for Jesus Christ, has ever been perfect. You understand this, so You offered Christ on the cross to open the way to our salvation and the Scriptures to show us Your will for how we should respond to move forward our sanctification. As if that was not enough, You gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, so we could understand Your teachings, and prayer, so we could hear You and speak with You. Those are blessings that transcend the grave and have far greater value to us than any Christmas or Chanukah package bought in a store. You have asked us to examine our relationships in the context of the birth of the Christ child and to act on them reaching toward Your perspective over our human agendas. While we can’t stop negative things like losing a job or contracting an illness from happening to us, we can turn to You for healing and justice, knowing You have promised and will deliver them. Because of Your presence in our lives, we who have faith are a blessed people. We humbly offer You worship, adoration, glory, honor, trust, faith, obedience, praise, and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
There is a wealth of wonderful citations yet to share that reveal other aspects of our Jehovah Rapha’s healing. The stories they tell and the attitudes revealed are precious and not to be missed. So tomorrow, we will go on with more views of our loving Abba Who desires to heal us. He offers us a great alternative to being swallowed by the stresses of the season and those of our whole lives. That is because His love for us is eternal. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn