How Humility Heals
“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! Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers in Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?’ So Naaman turned and went away in rage.” – 2 Kings 5:11-12
This will be the last devotional special feature from Anthony E. Moore’s 40-day devotional series, One Moore Minute. If you’ve enjoyed this special, you can continue the entire series by clicking on the purchase link below.
Have you ever felt you deserved more honor than you were given? Maybe because of your age, experience, performance, or reputation you felt worthy of greater acknowledgement. That’s how Naaman felt when he showed up at Elisha’s house, and Elisha wouldn’t even come out to meet him!
Who was Naaman? A commander of the Syrian army. A great and mighty man of valor. The Bible tells us he was honored for great victories. And then at the end of verse one, it adds: “But he was a leper.” Notice the conjunction in that sentence. “… BUT he was a leper.” It’s worth noting, that despite all of our acclaim and reputation, we still battle our own weaknesses. Perfection is not experienced on this side of Heaven. Regardless of how great the church is, every church has a “BUT”. Even the great heroes and heroines had “BUTS”: Noah preached 120 years “BUT” he got drunk! Abraham was a man of great faith “BUT” he exploited his own wife to save his own skin! Moses was a great liberator “BUT” he killed a man and needed anger management classes! If we all did a reality check, every last one of us has a “BUT” in our lives.
Naaman the leper set off in full pomp and privilege to seek healing from the prophet Elisha. He had a letter from the King to command healing. He had money to buy healing. He had an entourage to impress all that he was worthy of healing. But when he got to Israel, Elisha simply sent a servant to him: “Go baptize in the Jordan River seven times, and you will be completely cured of your disease.” Naaman couldn’t swallow the dishonor. He left in a rage saying, “He had the nerve to send his servant instead of coming himself! Doesn’t he know who I am? Doesn’t he know how much money I have? He wants me to go dip seven times in the dirty Jordan River? That’s not happening!”
Now please note, even when our pride roars in anger, God always offers a way out through humility. Watch what happens in verse 13: His servant asked him, “Why can’t you just wash yourself as he said and be cured?” In other words, “Why can’t you just humble yourself?” Naaman had to make a decision. Get off his high horse and let God bless him or remain stubborn and go back to Syria still sick. Well, he made the right choice! The Bible said he was baptized seven times and was completely cured of his disease.
If people haven’t honored or respected you the way you’d hoped, you’ve got to make a choice. You can hold onto your grudge and remain “sick” of heart, or you can humble yourself and be available to receive God’s blessing. In God’s Kingdom the more humble you become, the higher He can lift you.
Reflective Minute
Take a minute and quiet your heart before God. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any attitudes that need to be healed. Are there relationships in your life that would benefit from your humility. Write down what you need to do.
Meditative Minute
Romans 12:3
Don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought.
Prayer Minute
Father, I choose to humble myself before You. No one is perfect in Your sight. I release any and all offenses that I have carried. Please forgive me, as I forgive those who have hurt me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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