June 16, 2025 -Whatever God

2 KINGS 5:1-8:15

Chronological Bible Readings

2 Kings 5:9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

Isn't that human nature. We are in a situation that we can do nothing about. Leprosy was a fatal disease. All of his power and position could not save Naaman. We too can find ourselves in situations that are out of our control. And like Naaman we can be resigned to our fate. But when a servant girl suggests to him that Elisha could heal him, he believes and goes. We too can have faith that God can do something about our situation even though we can't but get is wrong. Naaman goes with expectations. He is used to being received with great pomp and circumstance and it offends him to be told to wash in the Jordan, a substandard body of water in his opinion. Can we also have expectations of how God will help us. In his expectation he was walking away from healing and could have missed out on what he came for. Now we know that God is going to accomplish what He wants to accomplish but when we allow our expectations to cloud our vision it hinders our ability to properly trust and honor God. Instead of trusting what Elisha told Naaman to do and going away from him with joy and praise to God, expecting and trusting in the healing that was promised he went away angry.

2 Kings 5:13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

God's purposes are still fulfilled as He again used a slave girl to point him to God. She is the one who speaks truth to him and helps him to see that he should be obedient and grateful that his healing is to come in such a simple way. His heart is softened at her words and he obeys and is blessed. God will also send people to speak truth to us when we get caught up in our own expectations. The more we experience God's influence in our lives the less often we will need that voice of truth. The more familiar we become with God and His word the easier it is to lay down our expectations and trust Him. When we can say "Whatever God" and live according to those words, we can live in His truth. Praise be to the Lord God Almighty who was and is and always will be!