Healing of a Broken Womb
Psalm 115:9 O house of Israel, trust in the Lord –
he is their help and shield. (NIV)
The
Bible tells the story of a man named Elkanah who had two wives – Peninnah and Hannah.
Peninnah had been blessed with children, but Hannah was barren. Every year,
Elkanah went to the temple to offer sacrifices and Hannah would pray, but no
children had come. Peninnah found it pleasurable to tease Hannah because of her
barren state which irritated Hannah all the more and made her feel miserable. For
a woman to be barren during Biblical days oftentimes meant ridicule and shame
from others because barrenness was seen as a curse from God. Psalm
127:3 Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. (NIV) Nevertheless, Hannah’s
prayer was not denied but delayed until God’s perfect timing.
One
day, during Elkanah’s annual trip, Hannah went to the temple and prayed to God
for a son. She vowed to give him back to the Lord if He would grant her request,
and that no razor would ever touch his head. Eli, the high priest, noticed her lips
moving, while there was no sound coming from them. He thought that she was
drunk and proceeded to rebuke her, but he was mistaken. It would seem that the
priest would have spiritually discerned that Hannah was under great emotional distress,
but that was not the case. Hannah, however, explained to Eli that she was
making a request to God. 1 Samuel 1:17-18 Eli answered, “Go in
peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him. She
said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes Then she went her way and ate
something and her face was no longer downcast. (NIV) Jehovah Rophe
answered her prayer in the course of time, and she had a son and named him
Samuel. Not only did she have Samuel, whom she dedicated to the Lord as
promised, but she had an additional three sons and two daughters. Jehovah Rophe
healed her barren state and made her disgrace turn to exaltation by giving her
more than what she had asked for.
Abraham
and Sarah had dealt with being barren as well centuries before Hannah had. For
many years, they did not have any children. Due to their old age, they had
given up on the idea of ever having children of their own. Nevertheless,
Jehovah Rophe had other plans for them and did not allow their circumstances to
dictate His plans for their lives. Through their barren state, Jehovah Rophe
was going to show Himself strong and make Abraham a father of many nations. Genesis
12:2-3 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will
make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless
you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be
blessed through you.” (NIV) God was going to establish an entire nation
through Abraham consisting of a people who would serve Him. There were,
nonetheless, times of doubt in their minds that this promise would surely come
to pass. Sarah got a little impatient after waiting for years and persuaded
Abraham to sleep with her handmaiden Hagar to produce a child. Despite their
impatience, God remained true to His word regardless of the time it took. Habakkuk
2:3 For the revelation awaits and appointed time; it speaks of the end and
will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and
will not delay. (NIV)
Sarah
was later blessed to have a son of her own named Isaac just as Jehovah Rophe
had promised. He healed her barren womb and she became the mother of many
nations. Genesis 21:2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in
his old age, at the very time God had promised him. (NIV) Sarah may
have wondered over the years why Jehovah Rophe wouldn’t heal her barren state.
She may have prayed year after year for God to open her womb, but then gave up the
idea and thought that Jehovah Rophe had not been listening. God was always
listening, however, but His timing is not our timing. Yet, those who wait on
the Lord, He will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon
the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (NIV)
Jehovah
Rophe is our Healer and there is nothing that He can’t do. There is no
situation that Jehovah Raphe cannot heal. Just as Hannah had enough faith to
pray and petition Jehovah Rophe to heal her barren state, and Sarah was blessed
with a child in her old age centuries prior, we too can ask Him to heal our
barren situations in life as well. There are many people who need a Healer in
their lives to heal them of brokenness, grief, pain, loneliness and depression –
just to name a few. Regardless of whatever situation you may find yourself in,
Jehovah Rophe is the answer and is the fixer to all that is broken. Remember, Jehovah
Rophe is our Lord and Healer, for there is nothing that He cannot do but fail. Jeremiah
32:27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”
(NIV)
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