Don't Miss out on God's Healing and Hope Today

While praying for my bible study sistas, I was asking God, "What can I do to create a safer atmosphere, a loving, safe place and what can I do better.. ..different? How can encourage them more in their faith? Right after praying this prayer I went to where I left off in my own personal Bible reading, Exodus 6. Look what I found!

Exodus 6:6-7,9

New Living Translation (NLT)

 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment.  I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery." 

Other translations read:

Esv  "broken spirit and harsh slavery"
MSG "beaten down in spirit"
KJV “anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage."

Then it dawned on me.

WE CANNOT RECEIVE WHEN WE ARE IN A PLACE OF DEEP DISCOURAGEMENT OR IN BONDAGE OF SOME SORT! 

This truth in scripture led me to share with my sistas on Monday night, "please don't let your life circumstances and pain keep you from hearing the Word of The Lord tonight!"

A great man in the Bible also almost missed out on the healing hope and help that God had for him, personally, because of his life situation and his intense feelings of humiliation. We learn of him in the Old Testament but Jesus also mentions him in the New Testament. This man was Naaman, the great Syrian General for King Aram.

2 Kings 5:5

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

Naaman was a national hero who enjoyed fame and success....but he was a leper. This meant he couldn't really enjoy his life, his family or anything else. Leprosy was a very isolating disease that created a situation of loneliness without human contact for the leper. They had to call out "unclean unclean" wherever they went. No one could come close enough to even touch them for fear of contracting the disease themselves. Leprosy also signifies in scripture the sinful condition before washing in the Word and the grace of salvation. The enemy of our souls tries to isolate us and cut us off right in our place of pain. God wants to heal us and set us free from our malady.

THE ENEMY OF OUR SOULS WILL ISOLATE US RIGHT IN THE VERY PLACE OF OUR PAIN. GOD WANTS TO HEAL US AND SET US FREE TO ENJOY COMMUNITY.

The story continues with a servant girl, who had been captured and brought from Israel to serve Naaman’s wife, telling them of the prophet of God in Israel. She convinced Mrs. Naaman to have her husband go to Israel and see this famous man of God. Naaman goes to the king of Aram and the king immediately responds and sends him with a personal royal letter and an entourage of officials and gifts for the prophet. The story then takes us to Israel where Naaman finally arrives at the prophet Elisha's residence. But much to Naamans chagrin, Elisha sends his servant out to tell Naaman to go wash in the Jordan river seven times. This response from the man of God just fries Naaman’s bacon because he thought he would get special attention due to his notoriety and social status. Naaman starts to leave the vicinity, but his officials talk him into going back and doing as Elisha told him. This is almost too much for Naaman because he also feels the Jordan River is dirty and beneath him. He even goes into a tirade about how he couldn't believe the prophet chose the Jordan River when all these other rivers are so much more suitable. (After a bit of research I found out the Jordan is the lowest body of water in the world at 1300 ft. below sea level.) Naaman washes seven times in obedience to the prophet and gets healed of leprosy! He rejoices greatly and in the process renounces his false gods and decide to serve the one true God of Abraham.

I love that God healed him before he believed! He just had to be willing to invite God into his pain and seek out help from the prophet while humbling himself. He had to be willing to put away his pride enough to do as he was instructed. He had to believe this miracle of cleansing was at least possible, to step outside his own comfort zone, or should we say, step below his perceived dignity and status and humble himself.

In studying this story it also occurred to me that Jesus Himself went into the Jordan and sought out the prophet of his day and was baptized! Wow! Our savior humbled Himself and was immersed in the Jordan River! What love, what humility, to follow His Fathers plan and willingly humble himself as a man and then go even further! Just like we have been studying in Hebrews, Jesus is our high priest who understands our weaknesses and humbled himself even to the death on the cross.

God has a plan and if Naaman doesn't get on board he will miss out. Just like us. God says He has a plan for me of hope and good and a future (Jer 29:11) and I need to do whatever he asks of me to walk in that plan. ...uncomfortable? Probably.

Just like with Peter when Jesus wanted to wash his feet. Jesus said if I don't wash you, you can have no part of me. Just like with John, even though he felt unworthy to carry Jesus sandal, Jesus required John to baptize him according to the Fathers plan.

We must get over our sense of unworthiness as we discussed last week. And, we must get over our sense of pride as we see Naaman doing. I must not question my need to be washed in the Word and washed in the Blood of Jesus to accept this grace. Notice with me how human nature is either pushed to one extreme or the other. We either refuse to be washed by Jesus because we feel unworthy. Or, we refuse to go down to the river and wash seven times because it is beneath us and dirty and humiliating. Which is it for you and I? Are we feeling unworthy because of our past sin and shame. Or are we feeling unwilling because we don't want to be humbled and admit our need publicly? Naaman had to wash in the dirty Jordan in front of everyone. And, he had to do it seven times! Am I willing to go ask for prayer? Am I willing to walk to the altar in front of everyone and admit my neediness publicly? No, God doesn't want to shame us, he wants to heal us and set us free and answer our deepest prayer. 

Sometimes The Lord wants to partner with me to do something that I feel is above me (unworthy) and sometimes He wants to partner w me in something I feel is beneath me (pride). 

"Oh Abba keep me from either extreme, I pray!" 

Could it be that the answer or solution or miracle for every one of us is through one of these doors? The door of unworthiness and insecurity or the door of pride and that's beneath me, or embarrassing? Could it be that our answer to prayer is just on the other side of one of these three responses?

 1) The person who may not have even thought to invite Jesus into the pain.Like Naaman initially didn't even know there was a God who was powerful enough to heal him until his servant girl told him.

2) The person who has invited Jesus in but is unwilling to do as He has instructed. Like Naaman upon hearing the instructions immediately dismissed them because they felt too hard, too humiliating. 

3) The person who has invited Jesus into the problem, who has even obeyed His instructions, but is struggling with perseverance.

Naaman was asked to wash more than once or twice. He was instructed to keep at it and wash seven  times. Persevere in obedience. …John and the baptism of Jesus….. Jesus wanting to wash Peter’s feet…. Naaman and his unwillingness, as a national hero, to go down to the dirty Jordan….The Israelites and their inability to hear Moses' message to them about hope and freedom because of their broken hearts. Today we need to step out like the Israelites did when they crossed the Jordan. Today is our crossing and our washing in the Jordan. In the water of the Word. The Word who became flesh and dwelt among us! The Word who has all the answers to life! The Word who says He carries healing in His wings.

Step out in prayer.

Step out in humility to obey.

Step out in perseverance to keep pushing forward in faith. 

Prayer

Oh Jesus don't let me cower from your miracles because of unworthy and insecure feelings! And at the same time please don't let me miss your freedom and breakthrough because I'm prideful and I won't walk to the water and be washed. Where are you trying to wash me and I'm resisting? Make me willing, I pray against my stubborn resistance. Where do you want to upgrade me and I'm resisting because I do not feel worthy? Help me to get past myself and recognize that You alone make me worthy.  Open my eyes to false humility and false pride! Both extremes keep me from being washed in your presence and in the upgrade. You have for me here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen

Let me leave you with one parting thought:

We have a Savior who was willing to get dirty, to go "wash in the dirty Jordan" and he even spoke out about the incident with Naaman in Luke 4: 27. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.

Lord you are clearly saying that more healing and hope was available to others plagued with leprosy. Many more could have been healed and walked out of their isolation and pain if they had only been willing to come, wash and be clean.

We come to you Lord Jesus! Wash my feet my hands and my head. I have nothing to lose but pride and everything to gain!!