“We walk by faith” (II Corinthians 5:7)
“He wants me to do what!” “Has that old man lost his mind!” “Not in that slimy river!” I can almost hear the anger and frustration that flowed from Naaman’s lips. After all, he was a man who commanded a great army. He was a man well respected in Aram. But…..he was also a man with leprosy. So now there he stood, asking the prophet Elisha to heal him. Only Elisha would not even come out of his little humble shack to talk to the great commander. Instead, Elisha sent his servant out to tell the mighty warrior to go wash himself in the Jordan river and he would be cured. This angered Naaman even more. People did not simply ignore him. That nothing little prophet needed to come out himself, wave his hand over him, inject him with some magic vaccine, or write a prescription he could take to the nearest Walgreens. But no, not the prophet Elisha. He sent a messenger to tell the great Naaman that he was to go take a bath in the Jordan; and be sure to dip himself seven times in it. It took the coaxing of Naaman’s officers to get him to do it. And once he did, I am sure Naaman was even more enraged that after four dips, five, even six dips in that murky water, nothing happened. But that seventh dip, that was the dip that brought the miracle. When he came up out of the water for the seventh time, he was a man whose leprosy was gone. Gone!
Ever get frustrated because God doesn’t answer your prayer as quickly as you want him to? I do. I mean, we put our faith in God, we trust God, we believe in God. So why do we not see answers to our prayers as quickly as we get our orders from Amazon Prime? Isn’t all we have to do is believe and receive? What is the problem anyway?
There is no problem. The truth is that faith in God is like no other experience in this life. Faith in God is not easy. Faith in God is not simple. Faith in God takes patience and discipline. The bible tells us that faith produces endurance, and endurance is difficult for us to learn. Truth be known, faith in God is crazy! Faith in God will have us doing things that seem ridiculous, ludicrous, and even bizarre. Faith in God, results in his people dipping in a muddy river; talking to burning bushes; marching around a city like a bunch of crazy people for seven days; throwing a rock at a giant warrior, with nothing but a sling shot; being chained in prison writing scripture. Faith in God is a hang on to your hat, pull up your panties, and do not let go until the ride comes to its’ eternal stop experience.
Faith is challenging, but if you are committed to a God who wants his best in your life, faith in him is hands down the greatest way to live! So, let me ask you a question. How crazy has your faith in God been lately?
Darlene