Prescription for Spiritual Healing
Lectionary
Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; Galatians 6:1-6 & 7-16; Luke 10: 1-11
& 16-20.
“Elisha
sent a messenger to say to him (Naaman) “Go, wash yourself seven times in the
Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” 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.” 2 Kings 5: 10-11
According
to the scripture found in 2 Kings, Naaman was a commander of the army for the
king of Aram. He was a great man in the
sight of his master and highly regarded because through him the Lord had given
victory to Aram. He was a valiant
soldier, but he had leprosy. He also had
an idea that he deserved special treatment from those who were healers.
Have
you been given instructions by your health care provider to complete a series
of actions that were designed for your healing and then decided that you knew
better and would modify or ignore the instructions??? We are truly blessed with a multitude of pharmacological
preparations (drugs) designed to treat any number of diseases and problems. However,
all drugs have possible side effects (even the lowly Aspirin) and there are no
guarantees that a particular drug will work for every individual as it was intended. Most drugs work in tandem with modifications
of diet and activity and are prescribed together as a unit. We tend to think that the drug is all we need,
probably because changing diet and exercise involves a change of habit=lots of
work!. We now know that leprosy is
caused by a bacterial infection and can be treated with antibiotics. Naaman did not have access to antibiotics and
had to rely on the treatment activities offered by Elisha.
In
this passage from the Old Testament, we find that Naaman expected more from the
prophet Elisha than just to go wash in the dirty waters of the Jordan. He expected the miracle cure and the majesty
of the curing process. Washing in the
Jordan without the personal exhortation of Elisha seemed too easy to actually provide
a cure. Naaman’s servants convinced him
that if Elisha had told him to do some fantastic thing, he would have done
that. Why not complete this simple act
to see if it would work?? He eventually washed in the dirty river Jordan seven
times, his leprosy was healed and he returned to his homeland vowing to
faithfully serve the one true God of Israel. Without the expected fanfare,
Naaman was healed and changed physically, mentally and spiritually.
How
often do we ignore the call from God to serve by doing a particular activity or
series of actions? How often do we
modify God’s instructions to “do things our way”?? Paul tells us in Galatians
that we “must not grow weary of doing good but continue to serve God to reap
the reward of eternal life.” When we sow
seeds “our way” all we will reap is weeds. I have a hard time relinquishing
control of any situation, but I know that when I surrender to the power of God,
He will guide the process And the outcome.
My spiritual health as well as mental and physical health are wrapped
together in His plan. We have no idea if
our actions are making a difference at any given time. We can only offer our words and actions as our
offering, asking God to control the situation.
Dear Loving and Forgiving Father, please
continue to send us messages to guide and teach us. Hear our prayers as we ask for your
understanding and eternal patience as we learn these lessons again and again. Thank you for your love and for always giving
us another chance to change. Continue to call us to your service in planting
the seeds of the kingdom. Help us to surrender daily so that we might serve you
by sharing Your love through our words and actions. AMEN
Chyrl Budd
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