Lately I’ve been thinking about pain. It’s all around us in the sufferings of other people, the injustices of mankind against itself. It’s also inside of us. We are pained most of all often enough by those we love the most – and who love us most. As human beings, it surrounds us and is inescapable.
I’ve been thinking about pain, because I’ve been thinking about the birth of the Healer of our pain.
He was conceived in pain.
He lived in pain. He had no home, was always on the go, and was hated by his own countrymen. He welcomed those in pain, both emotional and physical.
His death was the most painful death conceivable. The utter torment and cruel tortures are too gruesome to even imagine.
His painful birth, life, and death should have come as no surprise to anyone. All of it was prophesied years before any of it ever happened. Surely He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows. To bear our griefs and carry our sorrows means that He went through them.
He is intimately acquainted with grief, pain, sorrow, and emotional turmoil.
And the irony of it all is in His name: Jehovah Rapha – The Lord our Healer.
His name is Healer. He is our healer. To heal us of sickness, pain, turmoil, and death, He took on all of those things that are completely contrary to His name and nature. He lowered Himself, abased Himself, and took pain upon Himself so that we could be free.
And by setting us free, He grants us freedom from the entanglements of pain. We are not slaves to it – we are delivered from it! Through His pain, he purchased our healing; the Great Physician came to earth, took on pain, and frees us from ours.
He purchased our healing, our redemption, and our peace. What a cause for rejoicing and celebration this Christmas time!
All over the world, people are searching for the answers to the problem of pain. The answer was delivered to us over 2,000 years ago in the physical birth of Jehovah-Rapha, our Healer.
This doesn’t mean that we never experience pain – we’ll never be free from its effects until we receive glorified bodies. But it does mean that for now it’s redeemable. It doesn’t go to waste. It isn’t forgotten. And the pain we suffer for His Name will be rewarded.
This Christmastime, I’m reflecting on my own delivery from pain. This past year in particular has been excruciatingly painful at times as I’ve experienced betrayal and hurt at the deepest levels. But as I reflect on Jehovah-Rapha, I realize with joy the healing He has given to me, and the redeeming work He is doing in my life. Any cure I try to find in myself for my pain only results in further heartache. But through a relationship with the Great Physician, I experience healing beyond comprehension.
Heaven knows, heaven knows – I tried to find a cure for the pain. Oh my Lord, to suffer like you do, it would be a lie to run away.
Have you accepted the truth of God’s healing in your life? It’s the most wonderful gift that’s ever been given.