R’pha’eni: HEAL Me

Hello folks! On Wednesday, January 24th, I went to the hospital for thumb reconstruction surgery on my right hand. I’ve come through it alright. There’s significant pain, but God has given me the strength to handle it. This surgery will slow me down considerably when it comes to this blog and my school studies, so I request your patience and your prayers! 

Physical healing is quite an amazing thing. A small cut can heal over in a matter of hours, a biopsied liver can regenerate and grow back, organs can be transplanted, broken bones can fuse together, and a stopped heart can be restarted. All this means that we can have the confidence to ask for healing and expect pretty good results. It should never, therefore, feel strange to pray for healing. Twice in the Bible someone called out, to YHWH, with the specific words, “Heal me!”

Jeremiah 17:14

[Jeremiah:] Heal me, YHWH [r’pha’eni YHWH], and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are my praise.

“Heal me!” is combined in Hebrew as one word: r’pha’eni (pronounced: r-fa-eh‘nee). It’s a great word to add to your prayers. In Hebrew it looks like this:

רְפָאֵ֥נִי

Jeremiah, living through the terrifying years of Babylon’s invasion of Jerusalem, understood pain. Emotional, physical, spiritual, psychological pain, Jeremiah experienced it all… and so when he cried out, “Heal me!”, there was a lot more being said there. It was a request for full-rounded (shalom) healing. From physical pain to emotional torment, Jeremiah wanted the kind of peace that only YHWH could bring. 

David was the other person who cried out to YHWH, “Heal me!”:

Psalms 6:2-4

[David:] Be gracious to me, YHWH, for I am frail; heal me, YHWH [r’pha’eni YHWH], for my bones are horrified. And my soul is greatly horrified; but You, YHWH—how long? Return, YHWH, rescue my soul; save me because of Your mercy.

Bones and soul, David felt pain. Whatever kind of pain you’re feeling, God can heal it. All that is required of you is to seek YHWH and ask for His healing. It may not be quick (how long, YHWH?) and it may not be easy, but YHWH is merciful and He will save you! But being healed doesn’t necessarily mean staying alive. True healing is true peace, and that means going home to the Father (see the original posting on healing, here). Until we reach heaven and fall into our Father’s arms, we will continually need healing, here on earth. While we wait, let this be our prayer: 

R’pha’eni, YHWH!

Heal me, YHWH!

From bone-break to heartbreak, God can heal it all. Let go of your hurt and trust your pain to the God who says:

 “I Am YHWH your Healer” (Exodus 15:26b)

 “Ani YHWH Roph’eka” (Exodus 15:26b)

Next week: Revisiting HAND