2 Kings 5 - When Naaman wasn't healed right away

We've looked at occasions when God didn't heal people, but sometimes healing was simply delayed.

The people of Jesus' hometown, Nazareth, felt entitled to have Jesus do miracles in their town. Jesus responded to their presumption by saying,
“...many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.” (Luke 4:27, New Living Translation, 2015)

Here's what happened...

The Aramean armies, led by their captain Naaman, had conquered Israel. He was a powerful man, respected by his boss, the king, and everyone else. But he had a highly contagious, debilitating disease: leprosy.

Naaman's wife had a personal servant: a Jewish girl taken captive by the Arameans. She was a little girl with a big heart.
“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.'” (v.3)
That in itself is a lesson in faith and forgiveness.

Naaman's wife passed this information on to her husband. Naaman talked to his boss, the king of Aram. The king of Aram sent Naaman to the king of Israel with a letter that basically said, "Please cure Naaman of his leprosy." (v.6) The king of Israel was angry and insulted, assuming that the Arameans were trying to pick a fight. His response was, "Am I God... to cure a man of his leprosy?" (v.7)

Elisha heard of this and offered to help. "Send Naaman to me," he said (v.8). But when Naaman arrived, Elisha sent a doorman out to greet him with the message:
"Go wash yourself in the Jordan River seven times and your leprosy will be cured." (v.10)

Naaman had been desperate enough to listen to a slave girl. Now the test was if he was humble enough to listen to a Jewish prophet.

He was also insulted and angry at first. "I thought the prophet would do something more impressive. Come out and personally wave a hand over me or something like that! Bathing in a dirty river of Israel when there are cleaner rivers in my own country is absurd!" (vv.11-12, KJC paraphrase) Fortunately his servants calmed him down with assurances that it wasn't a difficult task to dip in water. (v.13)

So he began a process of healing. The account in the Bible doesn't say that with every dip, he came out a little more healed. And if not,  it was an increasing challenge to his faith and humility to keep dipping in the Jordan River until the last time when he was finally healed. 

Even though it wasn't an instant healing as he hoped, Naaman went through with it 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!" (verse 14)

Lord, too often I come to You with the solution and time-table for my needs to be met. I need humility to accept the answers that You have for me, and patience to let you answer in Your own timing. In Jesus' name, Amen.