Focus on the Little Things

There’s a time in our lives when God asks us to do something. We think that if God asked us to do the impossible that it must be worthy of God. Sometimes, God wants us to focus on the little things in our lives to serve him better. There’s a time in our lives when we ask God to do something for us. It is called a prayer.

The challenge is that we tell God when and how to answer our prayer. We don’t give God leeway to answer our prayer in his time. We don’t give God leeway to answer our prayer in His way. It’s got to be our way or the highway. In fact, when God answer’s in his way and in his time, we sometimes don’t realize that God is there at all. Usually, God has a better answer to our prayers if only we were open to seeing God’s grace in our lives.

Naaman was a very important commander for a foreign country. He was loved by his king because he won many wars for his country. His country of Aram is near modern day Syria. He had leprosy. Leprosy is a disease that still exists in this world. I prayed for a young girl with leprosy in Ghana a few years ago. Parts of her toes had fallen off her foot and her skin was very fragile. I thought leprosy was an ancient disease, but it still exists.

Naaman’s wife had a Jewish slave who said that God could heal Naaman. Naaman was told to go to Samaria to find the prophet Elisha. In the case of Naaman it was something easy that he had to do. The prophet Elisha asked Naaman to go wash in the Jordan River seven times to cure his leprosy. Naaman’s instinct was anger because it wasn’t dramatic. I think Naaman imagined a scene from a Hollywood movie where Elisha would come, raise his arms, and declare to God to heal Naaman. He thought God should be like something from “Ben Hur” or the “Ten Commandments” movie.

Let’s hear the story in 2 Kings 5:1-14 (NIV): “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. Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." … Elisha said “Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."

“But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.”

Naaman received clear instructions from Elisha what he had to do to be healed from leprosy. It was easy to do. Was he thankful or happy about the news? No. He was angry. He let his pride get in the way of having a relationship with God. Naaman’s pride overwhelmed his ability to listen to God. He thought that a rich and powerful man should have a rich and powerful answer from God. He was looking for the red carpet treatment from Elisha. Naaman wanted the pomp and circumstance that he thought was worthy of his position in life.

Naaman didn’t realize that one doesn’t have to be someone special or important to receive the gift of God’s grace in our lives. We just have to believe that God loves us. In fact, Naaman was in a rage. His first thought was that the rivers back home were cleaner than the muddy Jordan River. He just didn’t understand how taking a bath seven times would cure his leprosy. The number seven represents God’s covenant with mankind. God was offering to give Naaman the answer to his prayers. God was also offering to give his covenant with Naaman.

The scripture from 2 Kings continue: “Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”

Naaman was fortunate that he had faithful and wise servants who were willing to tell him to listen to God. Today, we need to be fortunate enough to have friends and family who are willing to tell us to listen to God. Once we are reminded to listen to God, then we have to do what God wants to do. For Naaman, he had to listen and then he had to act. It wasn’t something that he had to do. In fact, we’ve probably been told at some point in our lives to go jump “in a lake.” For Naaman jumping into the Jordan River healed his skin of the horrible disease of leprosy.

Our New Testament story is from Mark 1:40-42. This story is about another man with leprosy. This man was open to meeting Jesus without pride and pretense. “Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.”

The believed in the power of Jesus Christ to heal, but he doubted that he was worthy of the love of Jesus Christ to heal. That is why the leper asked Jesus if he was willing. He was looking for God’s grace to heal even those of us who are not worthy of God’s grace and forgiveness. Jesus told the leper that he was willing to heal. Jesus laid his hand on the leper. Jesus gave the power to heal with his touch. The leper experienced a powerful touch from Jesus that allowed the leper to feel the love of God.

I had wonderful news this week about a man who had wonderful news. Franklin Furrow has lung cancer in both of his lungs. The doctors told him that the tumors were larger than the size of a grapefruit or softballs. The tumors were different types. I spent a few hours with Franklin Furrow at the hospital. We read a lot of the scriptures in Luke that describe the healing experiences that are told in the Gospel of Luke. Franklin and I prayed in the hospital about a month ago.

This week, the doctor did tests on Franklin’s lungs. The x-rays showed that one of the tumors had decreased in size by 33%. The other tumor can’t be found. It completely disappeared. Franklin has gone through eight rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. We prayed together. Franklin experienced the power of God’s grace when we prayed. It was so wonderful to feel the power of the Holy Spirit in a powerful way when we prayed. Franklin felt that he deserved cancer because he smoked for so many years.

The fact about grace is simple. Grace is getting what we do not deserve. God’s grace was paid because Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we could be saved from our sin and to live life abundantly on earth and to have eternal salvation.

Let’s open our eyes to God’s answer to our prayers. Let’s be willing to allow God to work in our lives according to his plan and his timing. First, we need to let go of our pride, our anger, or whatever we hold onto that keeps us from having a relationship with God. Second, we need to focus on the little things in our lives to serve God better. We need to believe that if we pray to God he will answer our prayers. Third, we need to be willing to allow God to answer our prayers according to his plan and his timing. God has a better answer to our prayers if we are open to see God’s grace in our lives.