Coffee With Pat
Written By: Pat Aman
copyright 2006
All rights reserved
 

I guess you have notice by now, that I am studying the subjects of Faith and Healing. This seems to be what God has directed me too, as I have been studying my Bible. So as you know, what I study, I share with you.  I learned a long time ago, that the message is meant for me first and then I can share it with others.

Tonight God lead me to study about the healing of Naaman.  Read the verses below and then study the scripture and let God talk to you.  I will share the notes from the Bible and my own opinion after the scripture. 

2 Kings 5: 1-15, " 1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.

2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife.

3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.”

4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”

5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.

7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”

11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘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 heal the leprosy.’

12 Are not the Abanah[a] and the 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 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, 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 seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.”

Divine Healing, is a subject that people really do not want to talk about.  I guess it is because we have seen some people healed and others whom had prayed in faith, still died.  I guess we will never really understand the answer to this question until we get to Heaven.  We have to remember that God's ways are not our ways, and our ways are not God's. 

Naaman the Syrian general was a good man, and apparently his leprosy was not the result of his wrongdoing. Thus, the episode furnishes us with some practical insights into God's healing process when the sick person is innocent of known disobedience or action exposing them to their affliction.

It is important for us as Christians to share the importance of Our hope of God's healing with others. The door to Naaman's healing was opened by a Jewish maid who recommended he seek out the prophet Elisha. Believers do good when they witness to others of both the saving and healing power of Jesus. God knows our needs and He knows what to deal with in each person. Naaman was instructed to dip seven times in the Jordan River, and this displeased him. His human brashness and hidden pride was surfaced, but his obedience and submission opened the way to health.

A similar call may face any of us, as healing often awaits obedient action.  For example, in the scripture below we read that Jesus instructed the 10 lepers to show themselves to the priest, and they were healed after taking that first step of obedience.

Luke 17: 12-14 12 "Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.

13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed."

People who have received prayer for healing sometimes give up when they do not see immediate healing, rather than seek God for a possible faith-building step of submission.  I can say, "as for myself, I am standing on faith for God's total healing of my body. I am not talking about being healed when I get to Heaven, but now here on earth." God does the same miracle work now, as He did centuries ago.  I know that some of you are saying,"Pat do you not go to the doctor?"  "Yes, I do, but they could not practice medicine, if God and not given the ability.

Now, I do want to say, "that I am depending on God, because He created me and He knows exactly what I need." It is up to you what you desire of God. Only you can make that decision. I am going to believe what St. John 15:7 says, "If you abide and me, and my word abides in you, you may ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

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