Exodus 15:26

I, the Lord, am your healer.
Moses and the people of Israel have just come out of Egypt, having walked on dry land across the Red Sea while Pharaoh's men were crushed by the waves returning to the earth. He's leading them out into the wilderness, where there is no water fit to drink. They complain to Moses about having nothing to drink, and God tells Moses to throw a tree into the water, which he does, making the water sweet and suitable for drinking. God then tells Moses that if he listens to God, if he does what is right, if he listens to and keeps all of His commands, God will not afflict Israel with the diseases that they just saw Egypt suffer through. God tells Moses that He will keep them safe, because "I, the Lord am your healer."

Thoughts for the day...
When I hear the word healing, I think of two different things that have been broken: my body and my heart. Playing sports and being active has caused my body to be broken more than a few times: sprains, muscle tears, ligament damage, a broken finger (just my pinkie--doesn't really count). Loving things deeply--girls, friends, family--and then losing those things has caused my heart to be broken more than a few times, too. But God tells me here that He is my healer. I have found this to be true on many of these occasions, especially concerning my heart. When relationships, both romantic and friendly, have gone south, and my heart is broken, it's in those times that I have called out to God for healing, and whenever I do that, my heart has been put at peace. When we were pregnant before Landon, and we lost the babies, my heart was broken, and after getting over my frustration with God, I did the sensible thing and cried out to Him to comfort me and Lisa, and He did. Most notably in my life thus far, when my dad died almost five years ago, my heart had never been broken that completely. I physically hurt with sorrow. I was so, so angry with God. Admittedly, it took a couple of weeks, with help from Lisa, to come to the point where I expressed my feelings to God in prayer and asked Him to heal my heart. I still grieve the loss of my dad, but my heart doesn't ache like it once did. It's almost like when I think of my dad, and I can feel my heart starting to crack a little bit, God knows this, and He holds my heart together, filling in those cracks with happy memories of my time with Dad. I still feel the sting--after all, my heart is hurt--but it's not the full-out pain that I would feel if God weren't there, holding me in His arms. He is the ultimate healer. Lisa has helped me through so many incredible hurts, I love her more than anything on earth, and I believe God has put her and other friends and family in my life at those times to help with the healing process. But even with all they do for me, they can't heal me the way that my Heavenly Father does.

My Prayer
God, thank you for healing me. When my body is broken, You make me rest, and I'm healed. When my heart is broken, You hold it together in Your hands as You give it time to mend. Thank you for Lisa and for all of my loved ones, who have helped me through hurt after hurt. I pray that in my times of sorrow and hurt in the future, I will remember these words I have read today, and I will allow them to give me peace. You are the ultimate healer, and I pray for my friends and family who are hurting, that they will seek You and ask You for healing as well.