[God] 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.” (Exodus 15:26 NIV)
Over the years, there have been several remarkable stories of professional golfers who have battled serious medical issues but have been able to return to the Tour.
A mysterious illness nearly claimed Steve Stricker’s life in October 2021, yet he recovered and is experiencing remarkable success on the Champions Tour.
At the age of twenty-two, Joel Dahmen recovered from cancer and returned to professional golf, complete with his signature bucket hat.
Perhaps the greatest recovery story in all of golf deals with Ben Hogan’s catastrophic injuries sustained in a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus in February 1949. The reigning U.S. Open and PGA Champion broke his left ankle, his collarbone, a rib, and his pelvis in the crash.
His doctors advised him that he would never walk again, but he returned to the Tour sixteen months later and won six more majors. These golfers all needed healing to permit them to return to their golfing careers.
The Israelites, just three days after they had escaped from the Egyptians at the Red Sea, needed healing as well. As they were traveling in the Desert of Shur, they began to grumble and complain about their thirst.
When they finally found water, they continued complaining to Moses because the water was so bitter they could not drink it. They could only focus on their immediate temporal needs.
They had forgotten about God’s great power that had rescued them from the Egyptians. They were filled with bitterness and resentment instead of gratitude and trust.
God showed Moses a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the bitter, undrinkable water. Miraculously, the water became drinkable. (Exodus 15:22-26). God revealed another dimension of himself to the Israelites: Jehovah-Rapha, the God Who Heals. The word “Rapha” means “to restore,” “to heal,” “to mend,” “to repair thoroughly,” and “make whole.”
God reminded his people that if they listened carefully, did what was right, and kept his commands, they would not suffer.
When we think about God’s healing powers, healing in the physical realm comes to mind first (2 Kings 5:10; Psalm 41:3). God also heals emotional ills (Psalm 34:18) and mental ills (Daniel 4:34). He heals us from our spiritual fatigue (Psalm 23:3) and from anxiety and worry (John 14:27).
I often find myself, much like the Israelites, disappointed and grumbling when my prayers are not being answered, or if they are answered, they are not answered in the way I want them answered.
I constantly need to remind myself that God has a plan for me, that he is in control, and that if I completely trust in Jehovah-Rapha, my attitude will be healed.
How thankful we ought to be when we consider and experience Jehovah-Rapha as he heals, restores, mends, and makes us whole. Revelation 21:4 proclaims the ultimate positive healing outcome: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” All praise and thanks be to God, for he is “The God Who Heals!”
PRAYER: Jehovah-Rapha, we are so grateful, and thank you for being the God who heals us in every facet of our lives.