The Healing Angel

The Healing Angel Departs
By Rembrandt van Rijn

“At that time the prayer of them both was heard before the throne of glory…. And the Lord sent the angel Raphael, the prince who is appointed over healing, to heal them twain.”
Tobit 3:17

“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.”
John 5:2-4

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This painting, a detail from Rembrandt’s The Archangel Raphael Leaving Tobias’ Family, is a reminder of the quiet work of healing angels in our lives. In the Book of Tobit, we are introduced to the angel Raphael (“God heals” in Hebrew), identified in many faith traditions as the angel responsible for emotional and physical healing and well-being. Sent in disguise by God to aid Tobias, Raphael becomes a guide, protector, and ultimately, a divine instrument of physical and spiritual healing to him and his family. The story reminds us that God’s healing is often already in motion before we even ask for it. Tradition has also long held that Raphael was the angel who stirred the water at the healing Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the paralytic man. In both accounts, healing came in ways and through people that the healed didn’t recognize and never expected.

These stories remind us of the very real angels, both heavenly and mortal, that God sends to minister to His children in their hour of need. Jeffrey R. Holland has taught that “From the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children,” that whether or not we see them such angels “are always near,” and that their mission most often is “to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times.” These ministering angels help reassure us that God never leaves us alone or unaided in whatever challenges we face. Bruce C. Hafen explained that “the ministry of these unseen angels is among the most sublime forms of interaction between heaven and earth, powerfully expressing God’s concern for us.” God also sends healing angels to help further bind and connect the heavenly family in love. John Wesley taught that God sends angels to assist us for the same reason He has us help each other rather than doing it Himself, “to endear us to each other by these mutual good offices, in order to increase our happiness both in time and eternity.”

Whether we are like Tobias on a journey to find relief, or the man at the pool waiting and discouraged, God’s healing is nearer than we think. His angels still move. His hand still stirs the waters. And His Son, the true Healer, walks among us. Wait in hope. Healing comes—in its season, in His time, and often in unexpected ways.

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