Hope to the Hopeless

By Courtney Rogers 

Recently my pastor preached on the different names of God.  One name really caught my attention, Jehovah Rapha.  Jehovah Rapha simply means the God that heals you.  He can heal you physically, spiritually, and emotionally.  The Bible gives one very specific way on how to be healed by the Lord.

James 5:13-16 says, “Is any one of you in trouble?  He should pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let him sing songs of praise.  Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.”  This passage is often called the prayer of faith.  God speaks through James here and tells His people that if they are sick, to go to the elders of the church to be prayed over.

Sometimes a sick person goes to the church to be prayed over and their illness never goes away.  They begin to question God and start losing faith in Him.  God might choose not to heal the person.  He may be using our illness to heal us in a different way or test our faith.  He knows what we need better than we know what we need.  He might have a bigger purpose and plan in choosing not to take that illness away.  We cannot lose trust in Him.  The times may become dark, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.  Casey Darnell sings an amazing song called Healer that has helped strengthen many people’s faith in God.  The song simply goes “You hold my every moment.  You calm my raging seas.  You walk with me through fire.  And heal all my disease.  I trust in You – I trust in You.  I believe You're my Healer.  I believe You are all I need.  I believe You're my Portion.  I believe You're more than enough for me.  Jesus You're all I need.  My Healer, You're my Healer.  Nothing is impossible for You.”

Even when we are sick and seem hopeless, He gives us hope.  We have to come to the understanding that God does truly know what is best for us.