Jehovah Rophe

I had a wild ride yesterday.  I woke up feeling completely normal (and with a voice, too!).  As I was getting dressed to go to class, I started feeling a little bit off, but it was nothing to really worry about, so I headed to class, anyway.  Within 15 minutes, I was curled up on the floor in the bathroom in pain, along with lots of other highly unpleasant side effects - I'll leave it to your imagination to fill in the blanks.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur.  Korean hospitals, I have learned, are not any more pleasant than American ones.  So while I was sitting in the waiting room, I started thinking about some of the names of the Lord that I know.  I love studying the names of the Lord.  They have always been a special source of comfort for me.  Names are so incredibly personal, so intimate, so undeniably you....I feel like learning God's names just draws me so much closer to Him than simply studying about Him.

So anyway, the name that came to my mind yesterday morning was Jehovah Rophe, the God who heals.  Yesterday was really scary.  It was not the mere fact that I was sick; but rather, the speed and intensity with which it came on.  Being in a foreign country with an unintelligible language and in a strange hospital didn't help matters, I'm sure.

But God is Jehovah Rophe, our Healer.  He does not want us to be sick or in pain.  That was what I clung to, when I was sick and scared in a strange land.  The Lord our God loves us beyond anything we could ever imagine.  So when life's got you down, remember that He cares for you....always. 

Exodus 15:22-27

 ²² Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. ²³ When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) ²⁴ So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”  ²⁵ Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
   There the LORD issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. ²⁶ He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
 ²⁷ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

The name game

Goodness gracious, I'm so glad that God is bigger than I am.  Ever since I heard about my Fulbright scholarship, things seem to have been spinning out of control.  I've got to get a full medical examination and other forms to them within the next few weeks; I've got like 3 awards ceremonies to attend in the next week; the campus publicity office wants to do an article on me, and so they're trying to set up a time for an interview and a photo shoot; I've got another round of tests coming up, plus final presentations in almost every class; graduation rehearsal; certification exams; work; class; church; yada, yada, yada....  I feel like I've barely had time to breathe - and when I do breathe, it's only shallowly.

It's easy to get overwhelmed.  In fact, it's hard not to get overwhelmed.  So I thought that today I would write about some of the names of God that exemplify who He is and show us His character.  Studying God's names has always been one of my favorite Biblical topics, and always leaves me feeling reasted and peaceful.  I trust that God will not let me down this time :).

El Shaddai: God Almighty or the All-Sufficient One (Genesis 17:1). He is the Author of all good things; without Him what can we do?? But with Him, who can stand against us?? It's so easy to say, but so much more difficult to really believe.  Do we really believe that God is truly all we need? I know that I often have trouble believing that....

Our Shepherd: Psalm 23. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
One of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible!! There is sooo much to this chapter! Ohhh, I pray that I will always remember that He will always bring me to the safety of green pastures, even when I don't want to go and He must "make" me.

Jevovah Jireh: the Lord will Provide. I have a banner over my bed with these words on it. It serves as a constant reminder to put my trust where it belongs. "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" (Luke 12:25-26) Oh, how He wants to lavish His love on us!!! I have experienced such an overwhelming downpour of His favor this past week that it is difficult to digest. And, I can be content in the knowledge that it is not a dream; my Daddy really does love me that much; just like he extravagantly loves all His children.

Jevovah-Rophe: the Lord who Heals (Exodus 15:22-26). He is the great physician. And the great thing about this Healer is that He is not limited to healing our bodies. Bodies are not the only things that break in this life. Hearts can be shattered, souls can become embittered, and minds worn down. And our Lord, our Adonai, our Master, our Daddy, can heal them all.

Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord our Peace (Judges 6:24). He is our peace! He is MY peace. If my world seems to be going crazy and falling apart, I know that I can lean on the Creator of the world! He is the Master Weaver; when we know that He holds the threads of our life, we can rest in the knowledge that He is creating a beautiful tapestry.

Jehovah-Shammah: the Lord is There (Ezekiel 48:35). That name warrants repeating. He is THERE! When you feel lonely, or scared, or unnoticed....He sees you; He sees me! And He's CRAZY about you!  He will never leave us, nor forsake us. I am reminded of the poem "Footprints". It speaks of a man who dreamed of his life one night, seeing two sets of footprints (his and God's) walking through most of the scenes of his life. But through the most difficult times of his life, there was only one set of footprints. He asked God why God would leave him when things got tough, and this is what God said, "My, son, my precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you have seen only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

I thank God that He is a God of many names, and that all of them minister to me in different ways, so that I am made whole.  It gives me chills just thinking about it :).