Blog
The lord who heals you
We are all walking wounded—bearing scars from relationships that ended, dreams that never materialized, words that cut deep and still haunt us. Sin has ruptured God's good creation, and we feel it in every aspect of life. But here's what I'm learning: healing is not just what God does; it is who God is.
The Hebrew word rapha, often translated as heal, conveys the idea of mending by stitching—intimate, delicate work done over time with great intention. And God is at work right now, rescuing, reviving, repairing, and restoring us from the blight sin has wrought. He sees you. He hears you. And he will heal you.
Do You Desire To Become Whole
The full story of Jesus healing the man by the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15) raises all kinds of practical and theological questions. Perhaps the question that most piques my curiosity is this: why does Jesus ask a person who has clearly suffered for a long time if he wants to be well? If he wants to be healed? While I know Jesus is purposeful in all he does, this question has always confounded me....
Our answer to his question, which could also be translated as, “Do you want to become whole?” isn’t always a definitive yes, but more like a tentative maybe. More than likely, what we want is relief. Relief from pain, dis-ease, and discomfort that fester from unhealed fractures. We want the fruit of healing and wholeness without all the hard work it can require.
What would it look like to be open to healing instead of settling, striving, and stuffing?
The Gift of Going First
When we deny, minimize or spiritualize our sin and suffering, we rob ourselves of the rich experience with pain as our teacher and Jesus as our mender.