Corona Devo 841
Way back in the old Testament days, Naaman was the commander of an army for the king of Aram. These two guys (Naaman and the king) came before the Lord "all wrong", but the Lord received them anyway. God cleansed and healed Naaman anyway, and all at no cost.
The Lord provides the same (unbelievable) process to us!
Watch for our faith story in Naaman's story:
(1) The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy. ~2 Kings 5:1-19
Affliction: We all have sin that we cannot get rid of on our own. We also have circumstances that we can do nothing about (Naaman had leprosy). But God can do something about everything--if we will bring the situation and ourselves before Him in humility and not pride. (And Naaman is proof that even when we are too caught up in ourselves, the Lord can still (mercifully) minister to us.)
Naaman heard that there was a prophet in Israel that could heal him, so he started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing (2 Kings 5:5) on his way to find Elisha.
How should we come before God with our requests and issues? Naaman approached with money and gifts thinking that it would open the door to favor. Some of us do too. The tithe, the once-in-a-while-deposit of our money or ourselves...and we think we are doing God a favor in "giving" it. But the Lord does not need our riches--He needs our hearts.
...Elisha, the man of God,...sent this message...: “Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.” ~2 Kings 5:8
The Lord was calling Naaman nigh to experience God's healing. The Lord calls us nearer to Him to experience the very same thing. But Naaman's pride (and preconceived notions about how healing would come) prevented him from progressing. (The same is so often true with us!)
So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. (10) But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”
(11) But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! (12) Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. ~2 Kings 5:9-12
Pride: Naaman plopped himself on Elisha's doorstep and said (essentially), "Here I am! Heal me!". We often approach our Lord in the same (ignorant-of-His-glory-and-dominion) way. God knew that Naaman suffered from pride as well as leprosy, and so the first part of his healing came in the chipping-away of Naaman's self-reliance and pride.
But Naaman became angry and stalked away (2 Kings 5:11) and he even ranted for a while.
We don't like to realize that we are not the center of the universe. Society and culture spend a lot of time feeding-into-us the exact opposite message. But the (Biblical) Truth that we serve a holy God and we are unholy...remains---regardless of what we preach to ourselves.
And so Naaman had a choice. We do too.
He chose to obey.
Humility: There must be a humbling of our hearts and minds, and a bending of our knee (and self-will) before God can work in our lives.
So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed! ~2 Kings 5:14
Healing!: In His timing, by His (often unconventional) means, and for His glory, God meets us in our affliction and heals us through His mercy and love. A thousand different people with a thousand different "afflictions" will testify of a thousand different ways that God has healed their hurts. How has He healed you?
Gratitude and Belief...and No Payment Necessary:
Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
(16) But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.” And though Naaman urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused....(19) “Go in peace,” Elisha said. So Naaman started home again. ~2 Kings 5:15-16, 19
Way back in the old Testament days, Naaman came before the Lord "all wrong", but the Lord received, cleansed and healed him anyway, and all at no cost.
The Lord provides the same (unbelievable) process to us today!
We can bring our affliction before the Lord, but we must drop our pride. If we will come before Him in humility, He will bring healing.
Blessings,
sarah
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