Some Great Thing

There was a man by the name of Naaman who lived toward the end of the 9th century B.C. This man was the captain of all the armies of Syria. He was vastly wealthy and powerful, and he was trusted and respected by his king. Despite all that Naaman had going for him, though, he was a leper.

Leprosy was a dreaded disease. It caused the flesh to rot from the bone; and it made outcasts of those who were afflicted by it because no one wanted to be exposed to it or to look on those who had it. This was obviously a traumatic state of affairs for any one, let alone a man in Naaman's position.

During an earlier raid into the land of Israel, the Syrians had taken some captives among whom was a young girl. This little maiden was placed in the house of Naaman to wait on his wife. Upon hearing of her new master's affliction, she said to her mistress, "Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy." (2 Kings 5:3)

God uses the weak and foolish things to confound the strong and the wise. He uses us, who are insignificant, to accomplish His great plans. This little girl had every reason to be discouraged and to lose her faith in God; and yet, finding herself a slave in a heathen land, she begins to witness of the power of God through faith! Everything about her circumstance screams, "God can't use you!" She could have allowed herself to question her relationship with God; after all, if God loved her, why would this happen to her? She could have used her age and inexperience as an excuse not to testify of her faith. Instead, however, this maiden spoke a simple word of faith that was the springboard to a great and mighty miracle.

How tremendously important it is to understand the power that you and I have received to witness to the world. Jesus, in His great commission to His disciples, said, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:18-20) He has received all power in heaven and in earth; and His next statement is, "Go ye therefore." He is telling us that because He has this power. We can be empowered by His Spirit working through us to reach those in need. We are the body of Christ. We are His mouth, we are His arms, we are His legs. Oh, how we must learn to let Him use our mouth to speak to the world, and use our arms to reach out to the hurting, and use our legs to go to those in need.

Someone in Naaman's household heard the witness of this young girl and went and told his master. The king of Syria also heard of this testimony. Both these men were moved to action by what they heard. Faith was stirred in the hearts of these powerful men. Never doubt that the words God gives you to speak, no matter how simple or ineloquent, will have a powerful impact on those who hear it. Even those who overhear you can be greatly influenced by your witness. "For who hath despised the day of small things?" (Zechariah 4:10)

With his king's blessing, Naaman prepared to travel to Israel to seek his healing from God. With him he took about $80,000 in gold and silver as a reward to the man of God. Besides this, he took 10 sets of costly clothing to give to the prophet.

When Elisha the prophet heard that this Syrian captain had come into Israel to seek a healing, he sent for him to come down to his house. When Naaman arrived, Elisha didn't even bother to come out to receive him or invite him in. Instead, he sent his servant to relay this message, "Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean." (2 Kings 5:10)

Naaman was very angry. He was expecting some pomp, some honor, and some great thing to be spoken over him, or asked of him. To be told to go dip seven times in the Jordan was unbearable. Were there not greater rivers than these in the land of Syria? Naaman was so offended that he would have returned back to his home unhealed. His servants, however, spoke to him saying, "If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?" (2 Kings 5:13) He did listen to their reasoning, and he went and did as the prophet had said and was healed.

We, too, sometimes get side-tracked by things we build up in our minds. We miss the little things that God gives us to do because we are looking for "some great thing." Perhaps our healings, our deliverances, and our spiritual freedom has more to do with our faith and simple obedience in those small things that He asks us to do day-by-day. Praying, witnessing, being in the Word - these are all merely products of the faith we have in Christ. Ultimately though, our desire is that God be glorified. Sometimes that is when we are miraculously healed; and sometimes it is when we are not, yet are faithful all the same.

Let's quit waiting for God to do some great thing in our lives, wasting precious time and energy being angry with Him, or with ourselves, because nothing is happening. Let's, instead, embrace the little things that He has given us to do and see Him work the miracles out of those things!

Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem too small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forget His own.

Are you laid aside from service,
Body worn from toil and care?
You can still be in the battle,
In the sacred place of prayer.

Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown—and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ Name.

Words & Music: Kit­tie L. Suf­field, 1924.

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish.” (Matthew 14:17)