September 18 – Elisha’s Odd Advice – 2 Kings 5
Elisha gives illogical, crazy advice to a man in a prominent position. We don’t know why Elisha would send Naaman down to a muddy Jordan River to dip seven times, but we do know that God uses illogical methods to perform His miracles many times throughout the Bible. Naaman does not understand the reasoning behind these instructions, and voiced these frustrations. It was not until Naaman set aside his human logic, reasoning, understanding, and pride; that he finally went down into the Jordan River to trust God to heal him. It is amazing how many times Christians come to God with a problem, then shun the avenue God provides to solve their issue. God has given us many things in the Bible to do, but many Christians have deemed it as nonessential. We ask God to help us financially, in parenting, in our workplace, in our relationships, and more; but then place a low value on obeying the wishes of our Heavenly Father that we hold in our hand.
There are many lessons to be learned from this story. One glaring lesson is to trust God and obey. No matter if we understand or not. When we read in the Bible a way to please God, we should simply obey. Let’s set aside our pride. Set aside our past. Set aside our logic. Set aside if we agree or disagree with it. Set aside the excuses. Just trust God and OBEY!
