[Reflection] 2 Kings 5:13
“‘My father,’ they said, ‘if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it?’”
Naaman had obviously been expecting a big production number surrounding his healing from leprosy. After all, Elijah had a huge reputation as a prophet in Israel — maybe Naaman felt he deserved a dramatic healing, being a man of some importance back home in Aram. Instead, he’s told to go take a dip seven times in the Jordan River. (Didn’t even have to swim!) Talk about your deflated egos.
Fortunately Naaman’s servants were willing to risk his displeasure while making their point; and even better, Naaman actually listened to them. In fact, God probably used those servants as His instruments in making the miracle happen.
All of us get hit by “the Naaman syndrome” every so often. Coming to God in prayer and pointing out all the reasons why we deserve signs and wonders as part of the answer. So that when God keeps showing us the simple solution to our problems, we pout and say, “Is that all? It can’t be that easy!” and we get all grumpy with our prayer partners over the whole thing.
When people you have asked to pray for you start giving you the same answer as God’s instructions — remember Naaman’s servants. Sometimes it’s the simple things that are the hardest to accomplish faithfully, day in and day out, until God’s timing comes to pass.
