Here by the Water

Scripture

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favour with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.

Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.

She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’

So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said.

And the king of Aram said, ‘Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.’

He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments.

He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, ‘When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.’

When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.’

But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.’

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house.

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

But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!

Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’

He turned and went away in a rage.

But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’

So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God

Text: 2 Kings 5:1-14

Key Verses: 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God and would wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage.

Reflection Questions

What “unhewn stones” do you have right now?

“Build an altar of unhewn stones … rough as they are.”

• What are the plain, raw, or unpolished parts of your life that you tend to hide or downplay?
• How might God work with these stones to make them (you) holy?

Where do you feel pressure to perform or impress—spiritually or socially?

“God is not impressed with our credentials–our grandiosity is not grand to God.”

• How do status, reputation, or self-image sometimes get in the way of grace or growth in your life?
• What might it look like to let go of that pressure?

What does it mean to believe the good news that God already loves you?

“God loves every one of us, just as we are at this very moment…”

• How easy or hard is it for you to believe this truth?
• What would change in your spiritual life if you trusted that God is already at work in you?

How do you react when God’s way doesn’t match your expectations?

“Naaman expected pomp and circumstance … but healing came through humility.”

• Have you ever resisted grace because it didn’t come in the form you expected?
• What spiritual “rivers” do you sometimes consider beneath you?

What does it mean to “boast in your weaknesses” like Paul?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)

• How does Paul’s perspective challenge the way we think about success, faith, and strength?
• Where in your life might God be working through your weaknesses rather than in spite of them?

Prayer Prompts

A prayer of honesty and offering

“God, I bring you the rough, unhewn stones of my life …”

• Name the parts of yourself that feel imperfect, unfinished, or hidden.
• Offer them to God with trust that only God can make them holy.

A prayer for freedom from performance

“God, help me let go of my need to impress–you already love me.”

• Ask God to loosen your grip on status, control, or spiritual appearances.
• Pray for the courage to live honestly and vulnerably before God and others.

A prayer of surrender

“God, give me humility to receive healing, even when it comes in unexpected ways.”

• Confess moments where pride or fear made it hard to accept help or grace.
• Invite God to lead you to the “Jordan River” moments in your life.

A prayer rooted in grace, not achievement

“By the grace of God, I am what I am …” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

• Give thanks for the ways God has already worked in your life.
• Ask to be more aware of grace shaping your journey than your accomplishments.

A prayer to embrace power in weakness

“God, your grace is sufficient. Your power is made perfect in my weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

• Name a current struggle, limitation, or thorn in your life.
• Ask God to meet you there–not with shame, but with sustaining power.