The Fourth Wall - Day 22

2 Kings 5

1 The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.

2 At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”

You probably haven’t heard this story in a while. The story of the healing of Naaman was a story that for some reason I heard a great deal about when I was younger. I even remember a song that was written about him going down to the river seven times. It was a great song and I even covered it in a band I played with in college.

This story always captivated my imagination, as I believe it was written from a little slave girls’ perspective. As a child, the story was a narrative of redemption and restoration.

We see that Naaman was the commander of the army of Aram, and the king really seemed to like him. However, Naaman suffered from leprosy.

Remember, leprosy might have been the true leprosy disease that we sometimes see in the modern world, or it could have been a significant skin disease. Either way, there was a stigma that went along with this disease. It was akin to being exiled from your life, family, job, and everyone you cared about.

It was a courageous thing for the little girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a slave to exert that he might want to go and see the prophet in Samaria. She had a great deal of faith that this prophet could heal Naaman. I’m not sure that I would have had that kind of faith and assurance that things would work out.

Have you ever had to make a move that was significantly built on faith? Have you had to move, get a new job, or try something you know you should do, but also know that you can’t do without God’s help and blessing? Perhaps this is what this little girl felt.

But there is a truth in saying that faith in children is incredibly strong. She probably believed the things she had learned about God, and even though she was in a situation that was less than ideal, being a slave and all. She believed and told her mistress that Namaan should go and see the prophet who could heal him. This was a leap of faith.

1. Have you ever had to take a leap of faith? 
2. What was it and how did it turn out? 
3. Would you do it again? 
4. How was God faithful to you through that time?