CHILD LIKE FAITH / A MUSTARD SEED OF FAITHPart 1ll Kings 5: 1 Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes. As you read about Naamans’ healing, notice that it starts with a child saying “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” Before she was taken captive, there must have been some sort of testimony of miraculous healing in her life. She might have witnessed them or heard stories about them. She simply believed that God would heal her master. Her faith must have brought hope to Naaman that he could be healed. On just her statement, the King made arrangements for the trip to find the “Prophet in Samaria”
ll Kings 5: 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.” 8 It happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha.
It must have been a humbling experience for Naaman to go to Elishas’ house to receive his healing, but when you are desperate enough you will do a lot of things. Even ask your enemy’s God to heal you.
II Kings 5: 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” 11 But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I 1thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ 12 “Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 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. 15 When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 17 Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules’ load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. As I read this passage, there are number of things that stand out to me. The first was the child’s faith that started this passage. Her speaking this to her master must have been what it was like as word of the miracles of Jesus must have spread during Jesus’ ministry years. As they witnessed the miracles, they must have thought, “Why not me”? There was no disease, infirmity or anyone crippled that Jesus could not heal.
As Naaman set out to find the Prophet, he had to travel to Samaria. He went to the King of Israel and then to the Profit of God. As word about Jesus spread, some people had to search for him. And when they found him, he healed them. Finding someone back then could not have been easy, but they still came. The idea of trying to find Jesus without the benefit of TV, radio, an address book or the internet is hard to imagine, but they found him. When they did he healed them all. Some people who sought healing must have been desperate. There was no cure for leprosy. In Mark 5, can you see the desperation of the little girls father who was sick and then died before Jesus arrived? Or the woman with the issue of blood, she was considered unclean and not allowed to touch anyone. Yet she reached out and touched the hem of his garment and was healed. The Gospels are filled with those who Jesus healed. The same Spirit that filled Jesus is in us. In John 14:12 Jesus said “ I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.” Maybe our question should not be, “does Jesus still heal?” But, I know he still heals, why not me? Jesus loves us just as much as he loved everyone he healed and delivered back then! We have known people who came to prayer meetings for six weeks or more before they received their healing. Others received it immediately. Sometimes there are things that have to be worked out or maybe they need to meet their savior as their healer or deliverer. Many times we don’t know. It isn’t a formula or saying the right words. It is God doing what he said he would do. One of the hardest things to see is those, who for what ever purpose won’t even try or give up. In my own life I have experienced miracles. After my Grandmother and her Pastor prayed for me I was healed of cancer when I was ten. When the tumors were removed, all of the cancer in the tumors was gone. All that remained was a trace of cat scratch fever. I wore eye glasses from the age 14 until about 18 years ago. I received prayer for my eyes and I now have 20/20 vision. I still have battles where my healing has not come yet. But I won’t give up.
Luke 11: 9 So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him! I believe the simplest definition of Biblical faith is: “believing that God can and will do what he says he will do.” Unless they have learned otherwise, a child believes that their parent will provide for them and do what they say they will do for the child. That’s what childlike faith looks like to me. We are told in:
Philippians 4:6&7” Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. James 5: 13 Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God]. 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name. 15 And the prayer [that is] of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. As I close I pray that those who read this will be encouraged to pursue all that the Lord has for you. I’ve seen the subject of healing divide Gods’ people at a time when his people should standing together as one. If you have questions or comments, feel free to ask. Part ll will talk further on pursuing, obedience, greed and the question “Why would God heal me?”
May the Lord bless and keep you, and make his face shine upon you and give you peace. In Christ, Marty Griffeth
