Understanding Suffering through the Story of Naaman

During my morning quiet time I've been reading through various books of the Bible. I've developed a fascination with Elisha's character so I've recently found myself in 2 Kings. I flipped open to the chapter/verses I was due to read for the day and stumbled onto 2 Kings 5:1-19, the story of Naaman's healing. 

Naaman was considered a mighty warrior (NLT version) and yet he suffered and carried with him the physical burden of leprosy. I've read/heard that leprosy is painful, crippling, & deeply lonely. Can you imagine the physical and emotional toll this disease had on Naaman's body and life? 

Well, "it just so happened" (those " " are code for it wasn't a coincidence at all! God set this up!) that Naaman's wife's maidservant knew of a Godly-man (Elisha) who was known for having a prophetic spirit and healing hands. This news got passed on to Naaman and you'd better believe he wanted to see for himself what Elisha could do. Naaman gathered himself and his servant and ventured out to seek the man who could bring him physical healing through the power of God. In the end of those 19 verses, Naaman did in fact find healing from His leprosy, but I discovered that he found something much deeper and more life-changing than physical healing.

Naaman found God.

2 Kings 5:15 says, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel." His suffering through leprosy, his wife's maidservant, his encounter with Elisha, & his physical healing ultimately led to a deeper realization and life change.  

Naaman found God and suddenly his journey of suffering had purpose.

I was overwhelmed (and still am!!) when I realized that his physical suffering/healing ultimately led to a new and deeper understanding of the God of Israel. And then I got to thinking.. what if Naaman never would've walked through leprosy .. he would've never had a reason to go to Elisha .. maybe He would've never had an encounter and understanding of God like He did, had he not been "handed" the leprosy card. Naaman's suffering carried a much deeper purpose and calling than he probably understood while He was walking through it. His suffering led him to understand who God was.

With tears in my eyes, suddenly this story made perfect sense to me. God brought my heartache and suffering into focus and He spoke these precious words to me:

Your suffering comes with a deep purpose and a vast calling. 

I am confident in saying that God will not allow you and me to walk through a season of suffering and pain, without having a purpose for it (we have Naaman's life, and so many others, as an example of that). And I believe that He will never let your suffering go to waste. I know what you're thinking, that it's easy for me to say this to you, because I'm me, not you, and I'm not walking through the suffering that you're facing and have faced. You're right, I'm not walking through your suffering and I don't know what it's like. But can I tell you something? It really isn't easy for me to say these words. Because I've been walking through my own suffering and "wilderness" for quite some time now. I know the weight of suffering (no matter what kind) and the toll it takes on your heart, body, & spirit. I know the days of agony, the nights of loneliness, and the thousands of tears that are shed over pain that doesn't seem fair. I know, sweet friends, I know. But if there's one thing I've learned from my own suffering and from the suffering of Naaman in 2 Kings 5, it is this..

God gives purpose to our pain.

After I finished reading, journaling, & picking my jaw up off the floor because I couldn't believe the Truths that God was revealing to me, I began to pray. I prayed for the things I had just read and learned about and I prayed for the journey of suffering that I've been walking through. I asked God to show me the purpose behind my suffering and what I could do about it for His glory. I asked Him why we walk through suffering ... I felt these 3 things on my heart:

1. To grow our faith
2. To know and experience Jesus in new & deeper ways
3. So that we can minister to others who walk through similar journeys

When I finished praying I thought about those ^^ 3 things that God had just spoken to me. The third one boldly stuck out to me! I love that we serve a God who gives purpose to our pain and allows us to rise above the suffering that we've walked through so that we can relate and minister to others who are walking similar paths. I love that He doesn't allow our pain to go to waste. And that He equips us to minister to others through experience. It's amazing that we serve a God who births redemption into our stories of suffering and we see His hand in them, as He brings others into our lives who are walking what we've walked. I love that our God is a personal, faithful God and that He does not leave us in the midst of suffering, but draws nearer to us so that we can experience Him in new ways. And I love that He has given us stories like Naaman's to relate to, speak through, & encourage us along every day.

I'll leave you with one last Truth that I wrote into my Bible next to Naaman's story:

God allows us suffering and pain for an inward growth and an outward ministry.

I love you friend, I'm always here for you, and I pray these words are an encouragement to your weary soul today and the days to come. XO

.. When You Find Yourself THERE ..

Have you ever listened to a message, read a book, or watched a movie and couldn't get enough of it so you had to listen/read/watch it on replay over and over and over because it spoke directly to your heart and the season you're currently wading through? ... 

I listened to this message by Steven Furtick for what seems like the 20th time this morning and I could easily rewind and listen to it again and again. It's just THAT good. 

     In the message Pastor Steven uses Elijah's story from 1 Kings 17 -- the one where Elijah prays for the rain to cease for 3 years and how God used Elijah's prayer to bring about a drought in the country of Zarephath; Elijah meets a specific widow sent by God whose son is dying because of the drought; God uses the widow to minister to Elijah, as He prepares Elijah to minister to her and ultimately heal her dying son, THERE. .. I promise the full story makes more sense than my quick rendition... if you'd like to read it for yourself you can do so here. 

I believe God's point in 1 Kings 17 was to show Elijah (and us!) that He will find himself in places and seasons he doesn't expect to be in life, but to trust that God has him THERE for a purpose. Had Elijah not been in Zarephath at that time, at that specific well, looking for water from that specific widow, He wouldn't have been used by God to bring about healing for the widow's son. Elijah HAD TO BE THERE for all of this to play out the way God meant for it to... 

Do you get where I'm going with this -----------------------------

Whether your "there" is that you've found yourself waiting for God to bring your significant other into your life and it's feels like it will never happen; you're working a 9-5 job that seems pointless and you're miserable; you're facing heartbreak and hurt over a broken relationship; or your longing/praying for something that seems impossible and there aren't many clear answers.. 

Like Elijah, we will all, at some point, find ourselves in seasons of being "THERE"

From the mouth of Pastor Steven:

"THERE is somewhere that you have to be.

It has to be a part of your journey. 

You have to be THERE. 

THERE you will see Him." 

Friends, if this at all resonates within you, hear this truth --

God has you THERE for a purpose .. a purpose far deeper than yourself; far deeper than your own blessings and benefits. You aren't there out of coincidence, mishap, or chance. You didn't stumble there randomly. You are "there" for a DISTINCT REASON. He knew before you knew, that you would one day be there. It's THERE that He is preparing you for a deeper purpose and a higher calling. It's THERE that He is growing your faith and molding you into a vessel for Him. It's THERE that He is moving within you, ministering to your heart, so that you can minister to another who walks a similar path in the future. 

He knows where your "there" is, because HE IS THERE.