Healing - a Christmas Gift

Emmanuel – God with us – Wonderful – Counselor – the Everlasting Father – the Prince of Peace. These are just a few of the names that are ascribed to Jesus in the prophecies foretelling His birth. But, the name that I’ve been drawn to this week as I’ve been meditating on Christmas is Jehovah Rapha – the God who heals. I know it’s a name that we associate more with the Easter story than with Christmas, but the events of those two holidays are completely intertwined. Without Christmas, there wouldn’t have been an Easter.

Psalm 103:1-5 says:

"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits –
Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."

When God sent His son to the earth, He provided everything that we need for life and health and strength and salvation. It was – and is – His gift to us. All we have to do is receive it.

My family has been richly blessed this year, and there are piles of presents under our tree just waiting to be opened. But, all of them pale in comparison to the gift of a tiny baby born on that night so long ago in Bethlehem.

If you need healing this Christmas – physical, emotional, or spiritual – remember that gift has already been placed here for you and it’s just waiting for you to reach out and take it.