Have you ever purchased a favourite item for a number for years, only to find that at some point the item had changed? I experienced this with my favourite coffee brand, but there was no forewarning of the change. I just found that whilst drinking my coffee one day, it did not taste quite the same. To my surprise, the original tasting coffee brand was discontinued completely. I began to scour the internet to see where it could be found, even at a higher price! This was because I had a good taste experience and I wanted this to continue for as long as possible. Eventually, I switched brands completely, knowing that there is just no guarantee that the taste would stay the same.
You may be asking, what does this have to do with Jesus? Well, with Jesus we have a guarantee that He will always do what He said He will do – there’s no recipe or ingredient changes with Him! How do we know this? Well, The Word, which is the absolute Truth states that God is “the same yesterday today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8. Hallelujah! this is really good news, especially if you are believing God to be healed. Jesus is The Healer, which means that healing is also available to us “yesterday, today and forever”!
I like to think of Healing as a property or something that I already own. Kenneth Copeland explains it like this, “Healing is not a reward. It is a property, and it belongs to you – But it will not work unless you put it to work.” Let us put Healing to work today by finding out what the Word says about Jesus “the Healer.”
1. Yesterday
“I am the lord that healeth thee” – Exodus 15:26
This was the first time that God revealed Himself as The Healer -Jehovah Rapha, to the children of Israel and it marked a turning point in their relationship. Why? because God wanted to reveal more of His nature to His people so that they could trust Him. God wanted His people to know that He was present to heal and deliver them.
The words “I AM” in Hebrew come from the verb “to be” or “to exist”. God also wanted them to recognize that He is the God of All – self-existent, eternal, and omnipotent. God was revealing His very nature when He declared that He is “I AM”. This meant that He would be whatever His people needed Him to be, because up until this point there were other deities and worship given to false gods.
“ I AM “ is a clear distinction for the Israelites between false man – made Gods and the only living God, Jehovah.
2. Today
“I AM who I AM.” – Exodus 3:14
When God revealed himself to the Israelites as Jehovah Rapha, it was like going from calling someone, Sir or Madam to calling them by their first name. God was revealing that He was present in their lives to heal them at the very moment they needed Him. Praise God! The same Jehovah Rapha from yesterday is present with us today!
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” Because He wanted the Israelites to know that He is, as Psalm 46:1 states “…our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” The same is true in the powerful healing scripture found in Isaiah 53:5, which states in the present tense “And by His stripes we are healed.” All of this is revealed to us by God in the present tense.
Fast forward to John 8:58, Jesus himself declares, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” This was a clear reference to the Exodus 3:14, which is why the religious leaders wanted to kill him. They knew that any reference to I AM was saying that you are God. Well, Praise God, Jesus, the “I AM” is present to heal us today!
3. Forever
“The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.” – 1 Peter 1:24- 25
Jehovah Rapha is still revealing Himself to us today through Jesus and the finished work of the Cross. Jesus bore our sicknesses so that we can be restored and made thoroughly whole.
When the woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus’ garment and was made whole, notice how Jesus said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48).
When we believe and receive that Jesus is the Healer and have Faith in The Word, we too can go in peace and be of good cheer. Jesus said to her, “go in Peace,” meaning “go, be in physical, spiritual and financial wellness.” Hallelujah!
This is why this Gospel is The Good News – because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. If He healed then, He is still healing now. Furthermore, He is restoring and showing Himself to be Jehovah Rapha just as He did for the children of Israel and the woman with the issue of blood.
When you recite the memory verses on healing, start to believe God for your complete healing and restoration. As you study The Word on healing, Faith will come, and you will begin to see yourself as already healed – you will go from perceiving to believing.
As Kenneth Copeland says, “you can recite By His stripes I am healed 100 times a day, but you have to receive that you are already healed instead of trying to get healed.”
Start putting your faith for healing to work today by confessing and believing these scriptures. Remember God is not a man that he should lie or a coffee brand that changes in taste or ingredients! He is the same, “yesterday, today and forever”.
Memory Verses
- According to Isaiah 53:5, By the stripes of Jesus I am healed and made whole.
- According to Matthew 4:23 Jesus went about “healing every disease and every weakness and infirmity among the people”, so I declare that I am healed of every disease and every weakness.
- He heals ALL my diseases, according to Psalm 103
