Naaman

So I am reading the story of Naaman, from 2 Kings 5. I have recently really enjoyed reading from the New Living Translation, because it phrases with a much more modern dialect. Anyhow, Naaman is the Aramite army commander, who despite his obvious military talent was also unfortunately afflicted with leprosy. He hears about the prophet Elisha through one of his wife's servants, and that he has been performing miracles in the name of God. So he seeks out Elisha for healing. But when he arrives at Elisha's, the prophet sends out a servant and tells him to go and bathe in the Jordan and he will be cleansed of the leprosy. Naaman was outraged, claiming that he should have been healed by Elisha personally and also stating that he believed the Jordan to be an inferior river to his own lands. Nice guy, huh? Luckily he had some good advisors who told him just to do it anyway. Short story is, he want, bathed in the river, and was healed. Talk about having to eat crow!

What I take away from this is - how often do we come to God wanting healing or whatever, and we are all set to tell God exactly how He should do it. But who are we to do so? Sure God could have healed Naaman by sending Elisha directly out to him, but instead He chose to have Naaman show some obedience. The same applies for all of us too. Rather than just expecting God to instantly fix everything, we should ask and listen for what He may want us to do to as well. It may not involve having to go and bathe in an inferior river, but it may be something equally unappealing to our desires. But if we are doing something for the Lord, we need to have joy and love in our hearts while doing so, despite what our nature leads us to feel.

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:6 (NIV)