“Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?” With this, he turned about in anger and left. (2 Kings 5:10-12)
As humans created by God, we think too often that we know better than the creator. We live in the 21st century not 2000 years ago. We are so much smarter now. Why would I want to do something that some uneducated person wrote or passed down in the 1st century? Like the Romans, if God were so powerful, why didn’t Jesus come down from the cross and save himself? Why would a powerful God who could split the Red Sea, heap amazing plagues upon the Egyptians and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah send a Savior as a baby, born of a virgin in the poorest of conditions, just to die?
Today, Naaman thought he knew best. He was a king that captured a little slave girl who told him he could be cleansed of his leprosy if he would travel to see the prophet Elisha. Surprisingly, Naaman listened but once he received directions from Elisha, he went away angry because it wasn’t how he thought the healing would be. Of course, our ways make more sense than God’s ways. But his servants reasoned with him and he ended up doing what the prophet Elisha said and he was completely cleansed of his Leprosy.
It got me to thinking today of how God speaks to me. I believe he speaks to me through scripture, nature, books, social media, my children, my grandchildren, meeting people daily and I think you get my point that it is pretty much in everything. I have to be open to listening. I believe God continues to knock and call. It may take a bunch of people like Naaman’s servants to get the message to me. I know it is going to take prayer on my part and honest discernment of the Holy Spirit to listen and accept the will of God. More than ever, I am coming to understand that my ways are often not God’s will. My continual prayer must be Lord, your will be done, not mine. Amen.
Seeking To Reflect Jesus 