“Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
2 Kings 5:2-3 (NAB)
A young girl is taken captive by a band of raiders. She was removed from her homeland, her family and her way of life, to become a servant to the wife of a high ranking Syrian military leader. She was raised in the faith of the one true God, who did many great miracles for her people, Israel. Now she is far away from her family, her freedom and her home, but she manages to keep her faith throughout the calamity of war, while being a captive. She makes the best out of the place where she is now. She could have become depressed, being a captive in a strange land, but in seeking the heart of her God, she found compassion for the new people in her life. She told her mistress about the God she believed in, and all the signs, wonders and miracles He has done through a great prophet in her homeland, named Elisha. The husband of her mistress was Naaman, and his life drastically changed when he found out he had the incurable disease of leprosy. Naaman heard her speaking about the prophet Elisha, and so he asked his king to contact the king of Israel, to set up a meeting with their prophet. When Naaman arrived at the house of Elisha, he had an impressive entourage of servants, horses and chariots with him. Elisha walked up to Naaman, and gave him the most unusual instructions. He told him to go plunge himself seven times in the Jordan river. A man of power, pride, and prestige doesn’t take well to the advice of “Go jump in the river seven times.” He probably thought it was a joke, or an act of vengeance or some payback for conquering their nation. Naaman was about to walk away angry and give up, but there was another Hebrew servant with him, who persuaded him to do exactly as Elisha advised him. The people of Israel knew the power of their God and how He worked through the prophets. All the servants in this story were the true heroes of their faith. It started with the young girl as a messenger of hope and then with Naaman’s servant, who persuaded him to have faith. When he plunged himself in the river for the seventh time, his body was completely healed of leprosy. Naaman became a believer, thanks to his servants who lived their captive lives as God’s servants. Everything about our life may not be 100% of what we would like it to be, but God has a purpose for us in that imperfect place we are at. It’s easy to become distracted or depressed by all the things that seem to go wrong, but God is still working His divine purpose through us. These servants looked for the heart of God in the midst of their calamity. Sometimes it could be about bringing God’s message to others, and at other times, we may be the one receiving His message and being transformed in some way. His purpose works in unexpected ways, and it usually starts right where we are, instead of where we wish to be. We may be asking God to change our circumstances, but He is changing us through our circumstances.
Lord, help us to be like the Hebrew servants in this story, to embrace our faith in the place we are at, and to allow your truth to transform us in the hardest of times. Make us people who truly live by faith, so that we may bring praise and glory to your name. Amen