My world has been hectic of late. But tonight, I was blessed with some downtime, so here I am.
The Lord drew my attention to the account of Naaman, a captain from the Syrian army, who was miraculously healed from leprosy. I have been leaning on the young maid who spoke up about the power of God flowing through the prophet Elisha.
The young maid (who is nameless in the story) was one of countless Israelites captured by the Syrians. The scripture doesn’t detail how old or long she’d been working as the maid. All we know is she was captured and forced to work for Naaman’s wife. Yet, despite her current surroundings, she talked about what God could do through the prophet Elisha.
Now, that speaks volumes to me. Since imprisonment, it would be easy to see how the young maid would feel disheartened by the chain of events. But no, although captured to serve the very enemy that uprooted her, she proclaimed how God could free Naaman from his disease. Talk about being in the right frame of mind. Despite her confinement, she willingly shared with her boss that there was a remedy for his condition! She didn’t hold back that information because of what they’d forced her to endure. She said to his wife, “Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! For he would recover him of his leprosy.” Now that’s confidence!
Someone heard her comments and shared them with Naaman. The young maid’s statement initiated Naaman’s healing process.
I love that her position didn’t hinder her from believing for someone else. There’s no hint of anger, hatred, or giving up on God because of her captivity. She didn’t withhold her knowledge of God’s healing power as a form of retribution for the actions taken against Israel. Nor did she mention it to parlay freedom for herself. We don’t know if she ever experienced personal freedom from her captors. We do know her faith wasn’t diminished by her present condition. And she didn’t hate God because He didn’t prevent her from becoming a prisoner. Her conviction of what God could do changed Naaman’s life, yet we don’t know if it changed her life. She spoke out in faith, and it set things in motion that freed Naaman, causing him to acknowledge that there is no God on all the earth but in Israel!
We aren’t always blessed to sit in optimal places. It might be in an environment beyond our control. Don’t allow your present placement to diminish your declaration that God is able! Someone else’s miracle is tied to your testimony of God’s mighty power and that miracles still abound!!
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 2 Kings 5:1-15 (KJV)
In the Master’s Service,
Author/Pastor Michele D Robertson
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 (KJV)