Healing of Flesh and Heart

II Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30

The great man and commander of Aram’s army, Naaman, could conquer anything except his skin disease. When he hears from a young girl captive that the prophet in Israel could heal him he sends money to the king of Israel with the message that he might cure him. But alas the king tears his clothes knowing he can’t do it, scared this might cause a quarrel between the countries. But when Elisha hears of this he sends a message to the king saying, “Let him come to me so that he can learn there is a prophet in Israel.”

So, he goes to him with great fanfare – horses and chariots but Elisha doesn’t bother to greet him but sends a messenger with directions of what he must do to be healed. Naaman becomes angry at Elisha for not greeting him and performing what he was expecting. Instead, he gives strange but simple instructions. Naaman goes away in a rage but the servants again come to his rescue. If he was asked to do something difficult wouldn’t he have done it, how much more than all he said for you to wash and be cleaned. So, he goes to the Jordan and follows Elisha’s instruction dipping seven times and his flesh is not only restored but becomes like the flesh of a young boy.

Our Psalm talks more about a spiritual healing. The psalmist tells how God has healed him when he cried out for help. He tells how he had gone down to the Pit but the Lord brought up his soul and restored him to life. Here we have the wonderful scripture – weeping may last for the night but joy comes with the morning. He tells how God has turned his mourning into dancing – taking off his sackcloth and clothing him with joy.

Could this Psalm hold some of the feelings Naaman had regarding his skin disease and how the prophet’s instruction healed him. He experienced weeping over it for a long night but after washing seven times and being healed I hope he praised the God of Elisha and thanked him for the healing.

In our own lives there are times we pray for healing not only for our bodies like Naaman but for our souls – our spirits, our emotional turmoil sometimes produced by physical problems. Let us not be like proud Naaman and refuse God’s healing instructions. May we reach out for it and grab it – whatever it takes, even if it’s not what we are expecting. Let us pray to the Lord our helper with prayer and supplication with faith in God’s favor and that joy will come in the morning knowing that God can take us out of the sack cloth of our lives and clothe us with joy. Amen.

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