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REFLECTION

Elisha and Naaman is the theme for our reflection. Elisha was a prophet of God who lived in Israel and Naaman, on other hand, was the commander of Syria or Aram’s army. Naaman suffered from leprosy and was directed to Elisha the man of God but for miscommunication, the King of Israel had thought that the King of Aram sent Naaman to be healed by him. The king of Isreal was displeased but Elisha directed him to send Naaman over to him, without meeting Naaman physically, Elisha sent a word to Naaman to go bathe in the river Jordan seven times and be restored. Initially, Naaman protested because he thought there were better rivers in Damascus the capital of Aram but he later went and bathe in the Jordan after his servants persuaded him to do so. He was healed immediately after he washed in the river Jordan seven times.

What are the key lessons?

First, humility and obedience to God lead to restoration. Naaman nearly missed his restoration or healing because of disobedience and pride. The men and women of God or those anointed by God to give spiritual and moral guidance according to His Word and revelation must be obeyed. Naaman was simply asked by Elisha to go and wash in River Jordan seven times. Geographically, the river Jordan was closer to Naaman since he was already in Israel but he misunderstood the message as merely going to bathe in a water body. He thought that if it just bathing in a water body then “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. 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’!” 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. (2 Kings 5:12-14). Dear friend, you cannot experience restoration if you are not ready to humble yourself and obey God. God has positioned His anointed servants in our lives to remind us of His Word and mysteries that will bring us restoration and revival. We must totally humble ourselves, trust and obey the Lord if we want to experience restoration. Without humility and obedience to God’s Word, we cannot experience His power at work in us. This is the reason we must give honour and respect to those who carry the anointing and the spiritual gift of preaching and revealing His Word to us through its proclamation and teaching. Naaman represents the category of people who come to church with physical, spiritual and moral deficiencies but because of pride and their preconceived minds, they are unable to experience restoration and the power of God in their lives. You may be more educated than your pastor or the preacher in your field of expertise, you may be wealthier than him or her, or you may have travelled the world more than him or her but there is something you lack most that he or she has and that is the revelation of the Word of God which has the power to restore, revive, transform and direct. Dear friend, when coming to the presence of God let us strip ourselves naked of all our worldly accomplishments and wealth and prepare to receive a divine direction through the Word of God towards our restoration and empowerment.

Second, Naaman was more powerful and wealthier than Elisha but Elisha carried a supernatural anointing and had the power to direct Naaman towards his restoration. Power and wealth cannot save us from physical and spiritual attacks, It takes the power of God to be restored. If God does not restore you, how useful are your wealth and power, they are completely useless. If you have good health you can enjoy power and wealth, it is for this reason, no matter how powerful and wealthy you are, God must reign supreme in your life because He is our creator and sustainer of life. It is interesting to note that many stop going to church or become careless about their spiritual life immediately they become rich and powerful according to human standards. The leprosy of Naaman teaches us that no matter who we are, sickness can reduce us to nonentities and all that we possess can become meaningless to us unless God restores or heals us. “Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. 2 Kings 5:15. Naaman was not an Israelite so he could be pardoned, in our world, non-Christians could be pardoned for some errors but many of us who claim to be Christian do not even know that there is God until we are stranded in life or are hardly hit by ailment before we start looking for a pastor to pray for us. It is after our restoration that we begin to acknowledge that there is no God in all the world except the God of Israel. Dear friend, let us not take our relationship with God for granted. We must remain dedicated to God even before the day of troubles come, for “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Shalom.

PRAYER

Almighty God, enable us to be obedient to You always and may Your Word restore us when we come to You in our weakness. Amen.