365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 51: Healer

Healer

"And He said, 'If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.'" (Exodus 15:26 NAS) 

I've been putting off introducing this name of God for the simple reason that I don't think any of us has to look very far in our lives to see examples that cause us to question God's role as Healer. If He can heal—and indeed, He can—why doesn't He? Why do we not hear more accounts of miraculous physical healing, as seemed to be more prevalent in ancient times? I must note here that I absolutely believe God is still in the miracle business. But a quick look back at where we've been on our NOG journey may offer a little insight into this question.

Earlier, we looked at the Old and New Testaments as a story in two parts: before Jesus' incarnate (in the flesh, so to speak) arrival on earth and after it.

In addition to representing the Old Promise and New Promise and the Old Law and New Law, God's Word also tells the story of the Old Tabernacle and the New Tabernacle. (I promise this relates to God as our Healer...hang in there with me.) Both are considered God's dwelling places, but the Old Tabernacle was a physical building built according to very exacting specifications. The New Tabernacle—the New Temple—though, is us: our souls, in particular...the part of us that is eternal. Because our souls are the new temple, God is always about the business of building and ensuring their integrity, strength, fitness, and completion. It's not that He doesn't care about or heal our physical bodies (they are referred to as part of the new temple as well); it's just that the the Old Covenant, with all its rules and regulations, was meant to produce internal holiness by way of external actions. The New Covenant, on the other hand, calls us to be transformed first on the inside via faith in The Way so that our actions on the outside can reflect His holiness.

I'll say it again: God is still in the healing business. I believe He still physically heals bodies. But He is full-on consumed with bigger healing than that, even: the healing of hearts and relationships and things that will endure long after our earthly bodies have served their temporary purpose.

To borrow from and redirect the King James Version of Exodus 15:26: "You are the Lord that healeth me."