“So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So HE CRIED OUT TO THE LORD, and THE LORD SHOWED HIM A TREE. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made SWEET.

There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there HE TESTED THEM, and said, “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!” Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters” (Ex 15:22-27)

The revelation of Jehovah Rapha, God my Healer, has changed my life and revolutionized my faith. It has helped me to trust God for healing when I was sick and to walk in divine health for many years. I am free from fears of contamination, infection or old age diseases. Child of God, I know that Facebook is filled with trash material but I pray that you find the treasure of God’s Word, even if it lying down in the mud of bitter waters. Honor the Word of God when it comes to you, even thru this unusual platform and you shall be blessed. Pray to have the revelation of God, as your Healer. It is more precious than gold, more useful than the best hospital in the world and more durable than time itself.

The first time Jehovah God introduces Himself as The Healer (Jehovah Rapha) is in this passage, in the Book of Exodus 15. He calls His name: I Am the Lord who heals you. In Hebrew it says: Jehovah Rapha. The Word ‘Jehovah’ means I AM. He is the covenant keeping God. The word Rapha means Healer. The picture is that of a surgeon, stitching the wound at the end of a successful operation, one stich at a time. This is the first lesson: Once Jehovah Rapha manifests in your case, the sickness is finished! Even if it takes some time for the healing to manifest, it must surely come! Hallelujah!

Please read the whole passage in Exodus 15. This is the background story: After 430 years of slavery, the people of God, under the leadership of Moses, have come out from the furnace of Egypt. They crossed the Red Sea thru a miracle. Their enemy, the Egyptians, drowned in the same waters. Lesson: God’s grace saves the believers and completely separates them from their enemies! On the other side of the Sea, they praise their God for this mighty deliverance. There is singing, dancing and national celebration. Then they start moving thru the desert, towards their Promised Land. Just three days later (note this: just 3 days!!!) they start complaining against Moses that there is no water. This complaining is a lie because, after just three days, they still had some little water in their bottles. Thirsty and angry, they see a pool of water. They push one another, running to reach the water… they drink it… but the water is bitter!!! What? This is a serious disappointment for them. The anger and the loud complaining increase to the point of rebellion.

What does Moses do? Moses ‘cries to the Lord’! Second lesson: when you meet disappointments in life, do not follow the crowd in doing bad (Ex 23:2). Do not complain against your leaders (parents, pastors, teachers or even God). Cry to God! Pray!!! God hears and answers prayers!  If you are the only one praying, God will answer you alone! Another lesson: During crisis, the godly leadership emerges. How does God answer the prayer? He points a tree to Moses. He tells him to cut it down and throw it into the waters. It takes faith to obey such a command especially under the pressure of rejection. But Moses obeyed. Lesson: Trust and obey for there is no other way! Immediately the tree touched the water, its bitterness disappeared and the waters became sweet, fresh and good to drink. Lesson: big problems that accumulate for years are solved in a moment by our God. What we need is a revelation Word from His mouth. His Word is the key to unlock all caged treasures. God’s ways are different than our ways. In the natural, the contact of any tree or piece of wood with a body of water does not change the chemistry of the water. It does not remove the bitter poison to make it sweet. Lesson: God’s Word needs faith to be activated! God’s power and our faith combined always produce miraculous results!!!

In Hebrew, the word ‘tree’ in this passage is also translated wood or carpenter. Who is the One they called ‘Carpenter’? His name is Jesus!!! (Mk 6:3). God opens the eyes of Moses to see the Cross of Christ in that tree. By cutting down the tree, (The Carpenter) died. Jesus died for you! His Blood touched the bitter waters of sin and the grace of God was released instantly. The death of the Son of God destroyed the poison of sin. And the water of life became available to the thirsty sinners. Lesson: pray that the Holy Spirit reveals to you the mystery of the Cross, the power of the Blood of Jesus! You can’t have this by the study of the Bible alone. You need the deep personal work of the Holy Spirit in your heart. Do not be satisfied as a superficial Christian. You will be disappointed often, for the pearls of great value lie down at the bottom of a pool of bitter waters. If you are born again, and if you want to walk in victory, then you should know that there is a price to pay for that testimony! Pay it! You will never regret it! The reward is always greater than the suffering you have experienced!

Please note that the tree was planted by the bitter waters. It was not far in the desert (or in the bush, as we say here in Nigeria). Jesus came to earth as a Man living among men. Jesus is closer to you than your sickness is. The solution is ‘planted’ by God next to your problem. Most people panic during trials and they look too far for a solution. God says that when the sickness comes, or the trial comes, it is for a testing of your faith. You need to hear God’s voice and obey. When you are sick, before praying for healing, pray that you hear God’s voice, His express Word, and that you obey it. This obedience signifies that you have passed the test. The healing follows immediately. Lesson: When sick, pray for wisdom before praying for healing. In the midst of the trial, God provides us with an ‘exit door’, a way of escape that we may be free (1 Cor 10:13). Never forget that the solution is planted by the shore of the trial!

At last, they moved forward a bit and arrive at a good place to camp called Elim. There were twelve springs or water and palm trees for shadow and rest. Lesson: The trial of faith is rewarded by God with rest from labor and a settled home. Glory to God!