A Name of God in the Bible: Jehovah-Rapha

[Exodus 15:26] I am the LORD who heals you.

After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they had witnessed God part the waters, lead them safely through, and then close the sea over the Egyptians. This was a great miracle that would be unforgettable for a lifetime. Moses and the Israelites sang a song to the LORD:

[Exodus 15:1-2] I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

But that was just the beginning of their salvation. Ahead of them lay a long journey through the wilderness, many enemies to conquer, and many cities to capture before they could inherit the Promised Land. What lay before them was a vast and terrifying wilderness!

Some have said that while God parting the Red Sea was a great miracle, providing for the daily needs of two to three million people for forty years in the wilderness was an even greater one.

There were a large number of Israelites who had crossed the Red Sea. They traveled for three days in the Desert of Shur without finding water, and their patience reached its limit. When they finally arrived at Marah, there was water, but their joy quickly turned to disappointment because it was too bitter to drink. The people’s natural reaction was to grumble to Moses, “What are we to drink?” Hardship is God’s test for His children, to see if they will rely on Him. Unfortunately, their feelings overcame their faith; they only noticed the bitter water and forgot to look to God.

Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he threw the tree into the water, it became sweet. Then He said, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer” (Exodus 15:25-26).

God rules over all things. We thank the Lord; He is our healer.