He met God

Now I know that there is no God . . . except in Israel. 

Naaman came to Israel wanting only to be healed, but he left believing in God.   His approach was purely pragmatic and intellectual: “I have a problem, and there is a prophet in Israel who can help me with it.”   What happened along the way that made the difference?   The answer is at once both simple and profound: Naaman met God.

Naaman’s story shows us that the process of conversion is ultimately the result of God’s grace, not just our own logic and seeking.   Naaman was looking for a dramatic healing from the prophet Elisha. Elisha told him to bathe in the Jordan River.   Reason told Naaman that the waters of the Jordan were no different than the rivers in Damascus.   Add to this that Elisha would not even come out to speak with him.   What sort of wonder-worker was this fellow?

When Naaman stepped out of the river, however, something more than scales and sores fell off of him.   Years of accumulated sin were washed away as well.   Naaman came out a new man.   He realized that there was only one true God and that this God was a force to be reckoned with.

Elisha’s faith and wisdom in this story teach us another important lesson.   Unlike the terrified king of Israel, Elisha wasn’t worried about what he would say to Naaman or how Naaman would receive his words.   He was more interested in getting Naaman into a position where he could be open to God’s miraculous work.

This should give us hope as we try to share our faith with our friends and family members.   We don’t need to have a specific script or a perfect game plan that will win someone over to the Lord.   We just need to love them, speak the truth to them as lovingly as we can, and pray for them.   We just need to set the stage so that they can be open to God coming to meet them.

Just be faithful to doing your part, and let God do the rest.

word among us