From Hopelessness to Hope
ICS Daily Devotions
2 Kings 5:1,14 (NKJV) Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honourable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valour, but a leper… 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.
What do you do when faced with a challenge in life? Different people respond differently. It is easy to give up, get offended with God, and walk away from Him. However, that is not what a true believer should do.
We all need to respond in faith and take time to discern whether it is a trial, test, or tribulation. If it is a trial, having faith in God will grant us the grace and strength to endure while our character is being pruned. If it is a test, we also need faith in order to pass the test by offering to God what is dearest to our hearts, which may have become our idol. Lastly, if we are faced with a tribulation caused by the evil one, we also need to trust in God’s faithfulness. While others can support us by encouraging us on our journey, ultimately, no one can walk this faith walk except ourselves in Christ.
Naaman was a commander in the Syrian army, not an Israelite but a Gentile. He was known to be a great and honourable man. He did not know the God of Israel, nor did he have a covenant with Him. He was suffering from leprosy despite his status and wealth. His flesh was slowly rotting and falling away, and he was living without hope because, unlike today, there was no cure for leprosy. All that was left for Naaman was a slow death.
It was God’s mercy, grace, and impartiality towards men that healed Naaman. After experiencing miraculous healing, Naaman came to know the most powerful God whom he wanted to worship. God gave him a new lease of life when Naaman chose to surrender himself to God’s way of healing and to believe in the God of Israel.
Naaman represents many of us today. Before being born again, we were also living a life without God and hope in this world, despite having everything in life, such as achievements, status, wealth and power. Instead of leprosy, our problem is one that would lead all of us to eternal damnation—sin. Praise be to God that as Christians, we have been justified and made righteous through faith in Jesus’ work of atonement and redemption. We become righteous when we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9). We, who are Gentiles like Naaman, are included in God’s plan, though He chose the people of Israel as His covenant people to bring forth the Messiah. Therefore, we can approach God for help in any area of our lives, just as Naaman did.
Sermon Series：We Need to Have Simple Faith
