Healing: Expecting the Unexpected

The Story of Naaman (2 Kings Chapter 5)

2 Kings 5:11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me!

2 Kings 5:13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’”

I read the story of Naaman and it resonates with me. Naaman expected God to heal him through Elisha a specific way. He knew how it worked for everyone else and he expected the same experience. Except God did not heal him the same way.

To me, we live our lives so like Naaman. We expect God to heal us, heal someone we love, or to do something in our lives the way we expect and want Him to. And when He doesn’t we get mad! Wow, how brazen and arrogant we can sometimes be that we feel we know better than God on how He should do something. Personally I have been in Naaman’s shoes and there is three things I have learned about God.

1.      God has a better plan than we do. No matter how good your plan is, God’s plan is better. (Read Proverbs 3:5-6).

2.      God has a better purpose than we do. Sometimes we go through things not knowing why and it is revealed later. Good or bad, God can use it for His purpose. (Read Proverbs 19:21 & Isaiah 55:8-9)

3.      God has a better perspective than we do. Sometime we do not know or see the whole picture but we can trust that God can see everything and knows what is coming.(Read Job 34:21-22)

Naaman may not have been healed in the way he wanted or expected but he was healed the way God wanted to heal him. So today, maybe it is time to let go of your plans and purposes, set aside your limited perspective. Place your trust and faith fully in God for healing for yourself, a family member, or friend.

Know that whatever happens his plan, purpose, and perspective are better than anything we can imagine.