Jehovah Rapha | Part 1

“If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26)

One of our studies this year with the kids has been on the names of God in Hebrew - when He first reveals a new name, what it says about his character, what it means, and where else we can find it in scripture. It's been beautiful to hear our children use these names in prayer and worship, especially in this season.

I have witnessed the power of Jehovah Rapha in my own life, friends, and family, but until several days ago, I had never experienced something quite like what happened last Wednesday afternoon. (And bear with me, this connects back to Michael, and he personally wrote an update for you!)

Late Tuesday night, Noah, our seven-year-old, started experiencing intense pain that began in the middle of his stomach and moved far down his right side and stayed. Around one in the morning, he began throwing up, and I knew I needed to take him to the hospital. (This was the second ER trip since Michael was diagnosed, and in all 13 years of raising boys, we had never once had to go previously. Wild, right?)

As I was hauling two laundry loads' worth of vomit-soaked towels, pillows, and linens into the tub, and simultaneously trying to get Noah to a trash can, I remember thinking, "If the devil can't get me to cower in fear, I think he's just going to try to wear me out." I placed some towels over the now-stained carpet, tucked Aiden in away from the mess (yes, he was in my bed, too), started singing "Abide", and headed out the door with Noah.

At the local hospital, Noah's pain and vomiting continued to increase. Everyone assumed it was appendicitis; however, the CT revealed something more concerning. An ambulance transferred us to the Children's Hospital so he (and the scan results) could be examined by a team of pediatric specialists.

The head surgeon went over the CT scan, where we could see that his appendix was indeed inflamed. However, he told me that while they'll certainly address that, his primary concern was three blockages, two of which were very large. He told us that it was most definitely not stool or something simple, but shared a few things it could be, including some words no parent wants to hear.

But to know what we're dealing with, he had to open Noah up immediately. At this point, the medical team was also very concerned about Noah becoming increasingly unresponsive. I called Michael to let him know, hating the fact that I knew it would be even harder on him being away from his family right now.

My friend and I prayed over him, and I got to remind Noah of who God says He is. Noah was slightly alert for a bit and scared about going into surgery, understandably so. I spoke Joshua 1:9 over him, reminding him that "the LORD will be with him wherever he goes.” And before they wheeled him back, he held my eyes as I said with authority,

"You are not alone. I'm not able to go into that room with you, but the King of the Universe will be."

Forty minutes later, the surgeon came out into the room where my two friends and I sat waiting, with a strange look on his face. He proceeded to tell us that he and the team were very thorough, but not a single blockage could be found. They’re GONE. The appendix looks perfect, and Noah’s intestines and everything else looked great, too.

He started to apologize for not having an answer for this whole ordeal when I interrupted his apology and said, no explanation necessary. My friends stood up in agreement, both saying,

"It's okay. We prayed for this. We know exactly what happened."

Somewhere in the brief bit of time it took to get Noah into the operating room, God touched my son and removed whatever big, scary thing that should not have been in his body, and healed his appendix, too. I don't need a medical explanation. Instead, we witnessed a can't-be-explained-no-other-possibility-Jesus-touch miracle.

It was only then that the tears came. Not tears from fear, anxiety, pain, or questioning - but an overflow of gratitude and joy to the One who healed my child.

He is Yahweh Shammah - He was with me, driving to the ER in the dark and in the rain. He was with me at every point of bad news.

He is Jehovah Shalom - He covered me with His perfect peace. The Lord filled me over and over again. Not my peace, HIS.

He is El Shaddai - He gave me strength when I was weary and exhausted. And then He showed up as the Almighty. There's nothing quite like experiencing something so radically supernatural and witnessing God's power on display.

We stayed a little more than 24 hours before going home. The doctors wanted to keep him at the hospital for observation because, as the surgeon put it, "We didn't fix anything." I have no doubt that they were expecting him to wake up still in pain and vomiting, and wanted to make sure he was truly okay.

But even before he woke up, I knew Noah was healed. And he exceeded every expectation over the next day.

He woke up without the "anesthesia terror" that often happens to children, and was joking and talking, not at all like he was before going under.

He had no pain other than soreness at the four surgical sites. (They were very thorough in looking around, which I am grateful for.)

He had no nausea and was able to eat, go to the bathroom, and hit every goal the hospital set.

And we were able to be in a regular room, not the ICU, which is what they originally thought. (I want to point out for any Chattanooga area residents - TC Thompson Children’s Hospital and the staff are quite amazing. I was impressed by every interaction, exam, and explanation. They went above and beyond and also helped Noah feel safe.)

Thankfully, we were able to go home far sooner than expected. (And a huge thank you to friends who watched the kids at home, stayed the night, brought food, and stayed and sat with me.)

The next morning, the head surgeon came in again, still amazed by what he was seeing.

Noah was fully, completely healed.

And this is what I know:

God healed my son. And He is going to heal my husband.

The thing I've said many times over rings more true now than ever. God can use whatever He wants to, but he doesn't need any of it!

My encouragement to anyone waiting on the Lord or walking through a valley or storm is this:

1. Be obedient to wherever God is leading you. Confess and lay down any areas of control and surrender your will to Him. In that surrender, you will find peace.

2. Worship through it all. When you're tired, or your emotions are leading you away, when the enemy is attacking you through fear or anxiety, or when you simple feel empty, praise His name. Out loud. Often. Over and over again. Speak His eternal Word over your life and your loved ones. His word does not return void.

3. Trust. Easier said than done, but you can as long as you push out all the lies and remember who God is and who you are in Him. Trust His promises. Trust His goodness. Trust His faithfulness. Trust that He is near the brokenhearted. When we put our full trust in Him, we can open our eyes and see every good thing He's doing. The blinders come off, and gratitude seeps into our bones.

And surround yourself with prayer warriors - ones who pray big, bold prayers, like, "When the doctors open him up, may they find nothing wrong. Heal him by Your touch." The ones who will fight and stand with you - in the middle of the night or after a long day. (If you don’t have this, I will always pray.)

Don't be afraid to ask, too. Our loving Heavenly Father wants to hear from you.

I know that I won't stop making bold requests to the only One who can truly heal. I won't stop thanking Him for His mercies and grace in all the big and little moments, too.

Some of those mercies include getting a bear hug from my sweet husband on Sunday. Michael is home right now, tired, but in good spirits. Jehovah Rapha is also working in his life, of that I have no doubt. And although it looks different than Noah's story...the Lord is writing a beautiful one for him, too.

(See part 2 for an update personally from Mike!)