Lessons from Naaman - Part 8

But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:13-14 ESV). I hope you have been following these past few days of devotionals. Naaman has had so much to teach us! Today we will see vividly that when we obey God the results are nothing short of spectacular! I have to be honest with you for a moment, however. God’s ways don’t always make sense to me. Forgive me if that offends anyone, but there are times when God takes me places that just don’t seem like the right direction. If I were planning things on my own, I would do things differently. Who, in their right mind, would plan sickness or tragedy in their life? Would Paul have planned his thorn? Would Elijah have planned for Jezebel to threaten his life? Would David have planned for Saul to chase him through the wilderness threatening his life? Would Job have planned the death of his children or the loss of his livestock? Of course not! The answer is most definitely no! We don’t wish for the ways of God sometimes! It isn’t always pleasing to the eye. And, yet, we know from Scripture and experience that God’s ways are always best. I don’t have to understand His ways, but I do have to trust them, because they work out every time! He has a perfect track record! Naaman didn’t want to dunk himself seven times in the muddy water of the Jordan River. It didn’t make sense to Him, but when he obeyed, his skin was clearer than it had been in years. His wife must have thought she had a new husband! He probably couldn’t stop looking at himself in the mirror. He was a new man. God changed Him when He obeyed! The key is obedience. It always has been. I received a phone call this week from one of the folks who are on the list for Morning Devotionals. He asked me how to trust God? I answered with another question. I asked him how he sat down in a chair? He was amused and said, “You just do it.” There is the answer to faith and obedience. You just do it. The results will always be good! God is still changing people today, praise His name! He is still taking people who will obey Him, even when it doesn’t make sense, and molding them into new creations, far better than they were before! If God has you in a situation right now that you cannot understand. Be patient. Follow through. Stand firm. Obey Him fully, just as Naaman eventually did, and see the deliverance of the Lord! It’s coming! Just wait and see!