THE GOD WHO HEALS

LESSONS IN RESTORATION FROM THE WILDERNESS OF BURNOUT

“I am the Lord who heals you.” — Exodus 15:26 (ERV)

When God revealed Himself to Israel as Jehovah Rapha—the Lord who heals—it was not merely a display of miraculous power. It was a revelation of His nature. Immediately after crossing the Red Sea, they discovered their only source of water was contaminated. God healed the bitter water and made an audacious claim, "I am, Jehovah Rapha."

Miraculous healing is a mystery. Over the years, I’ve prayed for many, and though few were healed, I’ve become certain of one thing: God’s promise is real. I learned it not from results, but from the wilderness where He healed me.

In the winter of 1988, I entered a season of complete burnout. Week after week, I lived in absolute despair. Anxiety would come in crushing waves. Depression pressed so heavily that even breathing felt difficult. I went to my doctor, and he wanted to medicate me. I went to my pastor, and he was of little help.

One desperate day, I picked up the phone and called a prayer hotline, 100 Huntley Street. A counsellor named Charles Crane answered. As I poured out my story, he listened like a father. Then he prayed a very simple prayer, asking God to restore my health.

That afternoon, something shifted. I wasn’t instantly healed, but I turned a corner. Hope, faint as a whisper, returned. God taught me that His healing comes in many forms; mine would unfold over many months. Here are seven lessons God taught me during that season:

Rest: The First Prescription

Like Elijah under the broom tree (1 Kings 19:4-8), God’s first command to me was rest. For years, I had equated constant activity with faithfulness. But the Shepherd made me lie down so He could restore my soul. He used my family doctor, who taught me how to listen to my body.

Obedience and Alignment

Exodus 15:26 links healing to obedience: “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes…” Wholeness flows from alignment with God's purpose for our lives. I learned that healing isn’t just recovery, it’s getting in step with God’s rhythm for my life. The Holy Spirit helped me reorder my priorities.

His Word

The Bible became my medicine. “He sent His word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20). Scripture quieted my racing thoughts and rebuilt my faith—especially the Psalms. God's Word did more than comfort me; it began to rewire my thinking, teaching my heart to trust Him completely. During that season, the Bible moved from my head to my soul.

Forgiveness: A Supernatural Surgery

Hidden bitterness and regret had taken root in my soul. Simply put, some people I admired let me down, and I had been feeding the hurt. Ephesians 4:32 reminds us to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."  Forgiveness opened the flow of grace. The pain of releasing others became a gateway, allowing peace to rush into my soul.

Worship: Healing Through a Life Offered

I discovered worship is not limited to singing songs or Sunday gatherings; it is the posture of a surrendered life. God taught me true worship is expressed through how I live: loving my wife faithfully, being tenderhearted toward my children, and showing compassion to those who are weak or wounded around me.

Romans 12:1 calls us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship.” When my daily choices became acts of love and humility, healing was released within me and through me.  

Silent Prayer: Listening for the Still Small Voice

I had always prayed with words; many of them. But in that season, God invited me into a deeper kind of prayer: silence. When I finally stopped talking long enough to listen, I began to sense His “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).

In that quiet, He calmed the storms in my mind. I realized that silence was not the absence of prayer but often its purest form. Healing came as I learned to wait; not striving, not speaking, just listening. The stillness became sacred ground where the Healer’s presence brought rest to my soul.

Looking back, I see God’s fingerprints across every step—rest, realignment, Word, forgiveness, worship, and prayer. Each became a channel of His grace. Jehovah Rapha did not instantly remove my pain; He renewed my soul through His holy process.

Jehovah Rapha is the Lord who heals us!