“And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.””
How long can you go without a drink? 1 hour, 3, a day?
Three days.
That’s how long Israel traveled through the wilderness without finding water. You can imagine how thirsty they were. When they finally came to a spring at Marah, their relief quickly turned to disappointment. The water was bitter and undrinkable.
Their hopes had risen…and then come crashing back down.
Once again, the people grumbled against Moses. Once again, it seemed as though God had led them into an impossible situation.
But God had not abandoned them.
The Lord showed Moses a piece of wood. When he threw it into the water, the bitter water became sweet.
Then God declared,
“I am the Lord, your healer.”
At first, that title might seem out of place. After all, this story is about water, not sickness.
But God is revealing something.
He is not merely the One who fixes isolated problems. He is the One who restores what sin has broken.
In a fallen world, bitterness takes many forms.
We long for healing, and rightly so.
Yet God’s healing does not always come in the way or on the timetable we expect.
Sometimes He heals quickly, sometimes gradually through people, medicine, and time. Sometimes He gives strength to endure while we wait, and sometimes He heals by bringing the person home to be with Him.
And sometimes the healing we most need is not physical at all, but spiritual.
The greatest disease humanity faces is sin. Left untreated, it separates us from God and ends in death…eternal death. That is why Jesus came—not only to heal bodies, but to forgive sins, restore us to our heavenly Father, and bring us into eternal life with Him.
Every miracle of healing in Scripture points toward that greater restoration.
One day, when Christ returns,
Until then, we continue to pray for healing with confidence, knowing that however God answers, He remains the Lord our healer.
He has not forgotten you.
He is still at work.
And in Christ, your complete healing is already promised.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
You know every burden I carry and every place where my life feels broken. Thank You for caring about both my body and my soul. Grant healing according to Your good and gracious will, and when healing seems delayed, give me faith to trust Your wisdom and Your love. Above all, thank You for the forgiveness and new life You have given me through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
