Let Us Be Diligent in Our Lives

Let us never stop testifying about God wherever we find ourselves, whatever our situation, because actively testifying about God may be the very means God uses to change our situation completely.

The second part of this passage tells us that when this young woman tells her mistress that the God of Israel can heal Naaman’s leprosy, Naaman, without a moment’s hesitation, acts: “Naaman went in to his master and told him, saying, ‘Thus and thus said a girl who is from the land of Israel.’ And the king of Syria said to him, ‘Go, and I will send letters to the king of Israel.’”

We see something interesting here: Naaman wastes no time when he hears this young woman tell him that there may be a solution to his need. He immediately sets out for the king of Israel and sets in motion what is needed to meet with the prophet.

What came to mind when I read that verse is that God wants us to be diligent and to do our part to get out of the situations in which we sometimes find ourselves. God has purposes for our lives and wants to work miracles in them, but He wants to do so in partnership with us. We cannot simply pray and pray and pray and think that God is magically going to do everything. Sometimes God wants to work in partnership with us, and He is glorified when we also take the initiative to establish the channels through which the grace and blessing He has reserved for us can flow.

Naaman wasted no time and went quickly. First, we must praise this man’s faith: even though the answer comes from this young girl, he says, “Well, I need a miracle, I need a solution, and perhaps this is something meant for me.”

One of the themes running through this text, which we will see later, is that God sometimes uses humble, seemingly insignificant, ordinary people to bring the solution to our problems. We cannot overlook any source, however humble, through which we might receive something from God; we will see that later. But we must praise Naaman for wasting no time: even though the suggestion comes from a young slave girl, Naaman takes an active part in the matter and does what he has to do.

How important it is that we be diligent in our lives. As I say this, I have been thinking of the Lord’s words to Joshua: “See, I command you to be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for I will be with you wherever you go.” I command you only to be strong and courageous.

It is interesting that God says this to Joshua just as Joshua is about to take the reins of the nation of Israel, which has spent forty years in the wilderness; to succeed the great leader Moses; and to lead God’s people into the land of Canaan, which God has reserved for His people. They will have to fight many enemy nations that will resist God’s people entering Canaan.

And God says to Joshua: “I have given you all the land on which the soles of your feet tread, but see, I command you to be strong and courageous.” In other words, many times God has already given the word of deliverance. In this case, God wanted to heal Naaman and had determined that it would be so, but Naaman had to make an effort, in a sense, and be courageous. He had to believe that, even though this suggestion came from a person of almost no standing, it could be the solution to his problem. Naaman exercised faith, and we must exercise faith.

We must look for a possible way out of the situations in our lives. Sometimes God wants to heal us, but we have prayed and prayed, and perhaps God wants to use a doctor. Perhaps God wants to use a new and different treatment, and we must put our faith in that and trust the Lord, saying: “Father, if You want to use this means, then amen. I bless it and release Your blessing and Your power. If You want to use this new and different job or this new business venture to bring me out of financial hardship, I bless this business, and I will call people and inquire about what You want to do in my life.”

Many times God wants to use us in natural ways to accomplish a supernatural work. Naaman had a part to play: he had to go to his king and obtain letters granting him authority, and he had to prepare and attend to other matters, because God wanted to take him there. Imagine if Naaman had simply started praying: “Oh God of Israel, whom I do not know, bring Your prophet from Israel over to me,” right? He had to go to the prophet; he had to go to the king.

Nehemiah did the same with his own king when he wanted to restore the walls of Jerusalem. He prayed to the Lord, but he also took advantage of the opportunity the king gave him to present his cause before the king and ask him for documents granting authority and for materials, and for a number of things he needed in order to go to Israel—permission to go and then restore the walls, present his vision to the people, recruit people to help him, and all these things, right?

God always uses our energy and our initiatives, and we must believe that, as we act and take initiative, and in the things we are doing naturally, God is brooding over them supernaturally to produce a supernatural result.

We must understand that God is a very complex God. Sometimes we want an absolutely sovereign, unilateral act on God’s part. God also wants to use us to glorify Himself and to work a shared miracle, so to speak. In this case, we are invited to consider that when Naaman heard the slave girl’s suggestion and moved toward God’s miracle, God would meet him halfway. It would be a very complex journey as well. But it is important that we understand that, I believe, through this text God is telling us: “See, I command you to be strong and courageous.”

Perhaps you who are reading, watching, or listening to this program are hearing God speak about a solution He wants to bring into your life. But you must be courageous, take a risk, and believe that God has something for you in the initiatives you are going to undertake. God bless you. Until our next meditation.