Would You Listen to the Little Girl?

Another treatment failed.

The servant carrying his message had arrived last night:

The salve did not work. We will keep looking. I love you.

That was it. She hadn't seen her husband in months, in hopes this rare salve would heal his rotting flesh. Day and night she had waited for a message, some news, a chance at new life. And that was all she got.

Oh, how she had clung the parchment to her chest, sobbing as she thought of her husband! Naaman the commander of the Syrian army. He was a mighty man of valor and victory.

But he was a leper.

She stared blankly at the walls of her bedchamber. Ever since the first spot of disease had been discovered, they had searched high and low for a cure. They were so sure they'd figure out a way. But as the years went by, their hope died a little more. She wasn't even sure it was still burning.

A little girl, an Israelite captive if she remembered right, quietly came into the chamber. She bowed low. "I was sent to clean your chamber, Mistress. If now is not a good time, I can come back."

She absently waved her hand. "No, no. Stay." The little girl went right to work, but she periodically glanced at her like she was gauging her mood.

Not good, in case you were wondering.

She was exhausted. She had spent most of the night crying. She laid back on the couch where she had been sitting, and closed her eyes. She almost drifted off to sleep when she sensed a presence nearby. Opening her eyes she saw the servant girl. She used her left arm to push herself up, and swiped at her tussled hair with the other hand. "Is there a problem?"

She shuffled her feet, and bowed again. "Mistress," her voice muffled, "The other servants told me about the Master of the house...I...there is someone who can help."

She bolted straight to her feet in one quick motion. "What?"

"If my lord went to the prophet in Samaria, then he would be healed." Her innocent eyes were serious with the kind of confidence that comes from unsoiled belief.

Impossible, but...

Oh, would she just listen to this! She was actually considering this slave girls testimony!

What could it hurt? They had nothing to lose.

A war raged within her. What should she do? "Who is this prophet? What god does he serve?"

"His name is Elisha. He is a prophet of the Most High God, the God of Israel."

They had begged every other god for healing. If her God could heal her husband, then she would follow the Israelite God to the ends of the earth.

Everything within her was telling her this was stupid. However, in the midst of all the chaos, there was one small voice whispering to her soul, 'Why not trust her God?"

"Go get a messenger and a scribe. I need to send a letter at once."

Story was based on 2 Kings 5:1-5.

We talk about the little Israelite girl's bravery. We declare her an unsung hero. We teach lessons and such based on that moment. And so we should. Those things are all true.

We never talk about Naaman's wife.

She listened to the little girl. From there, she told her husband, Naaman. From there Naaman went to his king, then the king of Israel, then to Elisha, healing, and salvation. What would have happened if she had declared the little Israelite girl's words to be worthless.

For the sake of this blog, let's call Naaman's wife Regina.

Naaman had been sick for a long time. He was a commander in the Syrian army and greatly favored by the king. I bet he had access to the best medicines of their day. Nothing did it; nothing cured him. Why would Regina choose to believe the words of a kid? Why would she put her hope there, after everything else had failed? What made Regina believe that this little girl wasn't exaggerating, or that she had any idea what she was talking about. A little girl with knowledge of God? Preposterous! Regina could have been walled off, and bitter from all the failed treatments, but for some reason, she listened and shared this faint glimmer of hope.

Have we let failed attempts to soar keep us grounded? Have we given up on someone's healing or salvation? Do we reject someone's words because God just doesn't work like that? Have we closed ourselves off to a glimmer of hope, to God's voice saying, "It's time!" Do we miss a message from God because of the person saying it?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

If Regina had trusted her own understanding, do you think she would have listened to the Israelite girl and told her husband?

Don't let yourself become desensitized by focusing on the lies that say, "It didn't work last time, why would it work this time?" Don't trust your own understanding. We have a knack for being wrong. Rather put your trust completely in God  Listen for God. That way when something ludicrous happens, like a slave girl's testimony of a prophet of the Most High God, you won't be wondering if this is for real. You'll know to listen to the kid. You will know that God is at work, and it's time to tell everyone you can. Amen.



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