God’s mysterious ways

2 Kings 5:11-14, “But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought he will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper.” Are not Aganah and Phapar, the rivers of Damascus better than the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean? So, he turned away in rage. Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My Father had the prophet told you to do some great thing would you not had done it? How much more then, when he says to you, “wash and be clean?” So, he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” A little background to this may be needed. Naaman was the captain of the army of king Aram. He was a great man with his master, highly respected, a valiant warrior but he was a leper. A little girl told Naaman’s wife that she wished Naaman was with the prophet in Samaria then he would be cured of his leprosy. So Naaman, the mighty, well respected, man went to Elisha the prophet. He was expecting some great ceremony to be done by Elisha. Elisha told him to go and wash in the river Jordan seven times, and he would be clean. This was not what he was expecting to happen. He was furious the scripture says. Naaman thought of himself as a great warrior. He came expecting a great thing worthy of his stature. God, however, had something different in store. A simple task of obedience to go wash seven times in the Jordan. The servants had to remind Naaman that if the prophet had told him to do something great he would have done it. How much more when he is told to wash and be clean, a simple task should he do? What an example of humility and obedience. This is a perfect reminder to all of us. When we come to God expecting great things to happen, are we listening to the instruction He gives us? Or are we walking away in rage because it didn’t happen as we expected? A simple act of obedience resulted in the miracle of healing the man of leprosy. God’s ways are not man’s ways. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”