A Stirring of Faith!

2 Kings 5:3- 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.” NKJV

Faith seems to be elusive in our world today. As preachers and teachers of the Bible try to explain what faith looks like, sometimes it can sound more complicated than it needs to be. Throughout the Bible, we are given examples of what great faith is, yet it still eludes us.

Take the young girl who was taken captive from the land of Israel to become a servant to Naaman’s wife. Having been taken from her homeland and made to serve pagans, she could have been an angry person with malice in her heart. But she wasn’t. It appears she had to have been a pleasant person and one who was filled with faith. As she began her service to Naaman’s wife, she noticed his leprosy and thought that if he saw Elisha, the prophet, he’d be healed. As her time with them continued, the thought got bigger in her head and heart and would not leave her until she had to say something.

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 5:3 NKJV

What would make Naaman’s wife listen to this young girl or even share what the girl had to say with him? Why would she believe what this servant from Israel shared with her? Why wasn’t she suspect that this could be a trap? I think this could have happened after the young girl shared her statement:

Naaman’s wife began to question her, and she responded. She shared what she knew of the prophet of Elisha and how he was said to be like the prophet Elijah. She may have even shared about the mighty things God had done in times past when there was a prophet. She could have told how there was a battle against the Moabites, and when the prophet said they would defeat the Moabites, that was what happened. Because faith comes by hearing!

Later, when Naaman and his wife were together, I can just imagine their conversation together:

Naaman: How was your day, dear?

Naaman’s wife: Actually, it was pretty interesting!

Naaman: How so?

Naaman’s wife: You know the servant girl you gave me from your last conquest? The one from Israel?

Naaman: What of her?

Naaman’s wife: She told me that if you were to go to the prophet of Israel, you would be healed of your leprosy!

Naaman: Is that a fact? If their prophet was so great, how did we conquer them? Why would I go there to be healed when we have gods and prophets in excess? What makes their prophet so great?

Naaman’s wife: I thought I should tell you what she said. When I questioned her further, she told me some fantastic things that have happened to her people and through their prophets. Good night, dear!

How many of you can testify that faith grows where there is hope? And as Naaman thought about his conversation with his wife, hope began to hunger for what only faith can produce: a miracle!

Maybe it took a night or longer; we aren’t sure. Perhaps Naaman spoke with the young girl and tried to convince himself that her prophet was no more significant than those in his land. But one day, his hope of being free of leprosy grew more potent than his doubts, so he went to the king and asked permission to return to Israel to visit the prophet.

Something about that young girl inspired faith in Naaman and his wife. Maybe it was the way she carried herself and spoke confidently of the prophet and his connection with her God. Perhaps it was even things she had heard or seen; we aren’t sure. But we know that people of faith or contagious people. When they talk about God, you listen. As you listen, your faith is stirred; before you realize it, you want to step out on faith yourself.

I love reading the Bible and finding faith incidents in ordinary people’s lives. It’s easy to believe that God would move because Elisha asked, or Moses said he would, or even because of another great prophet. But this young girl is never mentioned again in the Bible, yet she stirred the faith of a leader in a heathen nation to seek her God.

It’s a testament to the fact that one act of obedience from us could change someone’s life! It could be as simple as sharing the gospel with someone and leading them to Jesus or as simple as encouraging another person to start attending church. We don’t know if we have just changed the course of the next Billy Graham.

Whatever it is that God challenges you to share with someone, step out in faith and do it; because in doing so, you can stir someone to experience the miraculous in Him. Wonderful Jesus!