Story in the Old Testament 2 Kings 5
He was a leper. The most dreaded disease of that time. It was a hindrance of his life. He had a "but" in his life. He was wealthy, noble and respected. "But".
The sad thing is that God had a way to heal him. He almost missed it. Through the course of several people, one being a young slave girl and one the prophet Elisha, telling him to go bathe in the river Jordan. Jordan? Really? That is the dirtiest river around. He is a top man in the army. He is renown. Now to humiliate himself to go bathe in the dirty river. He told his servants he won't do it. If God wanted to heal him, he could use an honorable method. Then his servants convinced him to try to do what the prophet told him to do. He did, and he was healed.
This is you and me. We pray, but we pray the answer. We tell God how to answer our prayer, and then when the answer comes we miss it because God didn't answer in the way we thought it should be answered. Then we get discouraged. But wait....Naaman did go to the river. He did what he was told to do and was healed.
I remember one of the first years in Haiti, I had tried to leave for the 3rd time and God shut the door tightly. So I said, "God I won't try to leave again until I know that I know you have called me out." It was 28 years later the quake happened, and I "had" to leave Haiti. Couldn't God have just nudged my heart, and gently told me, "Barb, it is time for a change." He probably could have done that but He didn't.
The lesson for us, Don't out guess God. He has reasons for answering our prayers the way He does. He is doing a work in us, and He will complete it. He wants us to be accomplished for His glory. His glory, not mine. He has a plan. He put me under the rubble to bring me out of the rubble. Yes, there was rubble in my heart. He is doing a work in me. And you. Don't miss it! Don't waste your pain or sorrow.
God bless you.
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