Leprosy: a flesh-eating disease that was painful and highly contagious. Historically, those with this disease were cast out from society, no longer allowed to see relatives or worship in the temple or even go to the market. 

In 2 Kings 5, Naaman, who held an esteemed position as the army commander, suffers from leprosy. His skill and leadership were valued. His importance and high position saved him from the fate that so many with leprosy faced. Naaman was given a captive to be his wife and he was not terminated from his job as commander. 

Through the knowledge and faith of his wife, Naaman discovers that a prophet in Israel can heal him, so he gets permission to go. Full of hope, Naaman sets off to the prophet Elisha who commands him to wash in the Jordan seven times. Instead of rejoicing over the simplicity of this command, Naaman is angry because he actually has to DO something to help himself! 

Naaman wanted his healing to be simple, easy, no work for him. How often do we respond to God in the same way? We want help with a problem or an addiction but we expect God to just hand over the solution or wipe us clean of our addiction with absolutely no work on our part. Most often, when we seek God to help us deal with a problem, he directs us to action steps in order to overcome our struggle. If we face a problem in our marriage, God might ask us to change something we are doing before he changes our spouse. If it is an addiction, God can most definitely free us, but it will take work and likely be a difficult road. If our request is for healing or health, God may ask us to change our diet and start exercising before we will see the health and healing we seek. 

When you present your requests to God, remember Naaman and be prepared to go to work to help yourself as God guides you. Sometimes when we ask God to build up our lives, he hands us a shovel. 

Lucie Rogers, Iberia, Mo.

Extended Scripture: 2 Kings 3–5