A Simple Instruction

This year’s first day of school pep talk was like no other. Yes, I was the same encouraging mom excited to see her youngest child start a new school year, yet at the same time this pep talk was far more instructive. “Even if you’re the only one, I need you to wear your mask.” As I went on, I stopped mid-sentence with a shout of, “Oh! Glory!” I attempted to move on and pick up with the conversation where I left off, but my daughter wanted to know what the shout was all about. I then proceeded to share with her how in that quick moment the Holy Spirit reminded me of the story of Naaman that can be found in 2 Kings 5:1-14. It reads:

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.” 4 So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. 5 “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.” 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? Why is this man asking me to heal someone with leprosy? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.” 8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.” 11 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! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!

It was verse thirteen that the Holy Spirit illuminated to me in that moment, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’”

During this time of pandemic, we have been asked to wear a mask, wash our hands, and keep our distance. These are all very simple things we can do to help stop the spread of this unrelenting virus. Why is it that if we were asked to do something very difficult, we probably would be more likely to do it? Let’s not allow anger or our expectations of how we think things should be done to get in the way of us doing our part to help facilitate healing.

I’m so grateful for the people Naaman had in his life to be his voice of reason. I’m so grateful Naaman chose to obey the simple instruction he was given and as a result received his healing. Now, let’s do our part in obeying the simple instructions we have received so we, too, can see the manifestation of healing we so desire.

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