Women of the Bible

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.” 2 Kings 5.1-3 NKJ

We pick up the story with our little Israeli girl now a captive serving the wife of Naaman, head of the Syrian army. She has discovered this great and dreaded commander is not only a mere man, but is suffering with leprosy; he has a weakness and need as do all common ordinary men. And her heart is moved with compassion.

In spite of hardship and sorrow, she is shows great empathy and benevolence toward her master. I can conclude but one thing: Great must be her faith in God. To be moved with compassion in her situation is, my friends, the outworking of great faith. She is not overwrought with self-concern but is free to consider others greater than herself. In the midst of her difficulty she not only sees the needs of those around her, but she trusts that God can meet those needs! This young girl can move mountains I tell you. This young girl has great resilience because of her faith. She is still functioning in love, which is the true manifestation of Godliness.

How wonderful to have this record of a (seemingly) small and insignificant person’s ability to serve the kingdom from her humble setting. Do you see the lesson for today that God has given us through this account?

I love Psalm 131.

1 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Lord, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me. 2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever. NKJ

We oftentimes belittle the task at hand, longing for greater things to do. For a student, the classroom may seem confining and insignificant. You are waiting for your chance at the real world. A mother of young children changing diapers and slathering PB&J sandwiches with fixings may wonder when she gets to do important ministry. Your husband is struggling and you are convinced your chance to do big things for God will never come. I tell you, there is nothing greater to be done than to find opportunities to show love in His name right there in that classroom or kitchen or relationship. And I promise you that today, right where you are, there will be manifold occasions for you to minister His love.

Ask Him today — right now — to open your eyes to see the true needs of others around you, to supply wisdom and grace for words and deeds of love to serve them accordingly, and I guarantee that you, this day, will be amongst those who have done great and wondrous things recorded in His book. You will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

This will become a day of greatness for you.