As a pharmacist, I am always amused by the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5. Naaman was a Syrian general with leprosy. He was sent to Elisha for healing, and was told to go bathe in the Jordan River. He wasn’t even told by Elisha himself, but was instead given the message by Elisha’s servant. But this was not the message Naaman was expecting, and it wasn’t received well:
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. (2 Kings 5:11–12)
We Often Despire Ordinary Help
I am not suggesting God included the story of Naaman in Scripture to teach us about health. I do think it gives us some insight into human nature. I’ve encountered patients who were frustrated that they were prescribed “simple” fixes like diet and exercise for their problems. Like Naaman, they walk away feeling they have been mistreated or marginalized.
Our problems are big. We know we should be grateful and remember that others have it worse. But that doesn’t change the difficulty when it’s happening. I would rather have a pebble in my shoe than a broken ankle, but I am going to struggle either way when I try to walk.
I would most likely take the time to take the pebble out of my shoe (although I am capable of incredible stubbornness at times). But if the solution doesn’t feel as dramatic as my problem, I may not want to listen.
Of course, someone patting us on the head and offering prayer while we’re standing on the road with a flat tire is not going to help, and is precisely what we are told not to do in James 2:16. But when someone offers to pray for our marriage or our wayward child, we should be grateful for their care.
When it comes to health issues, prioritizing sleep or exercise isn’t going to make a chronic illness go away, but it may make it a bit easier, over time, to face the day. They may not make the baseline pain scale go from a 7 to a 2 in a week, but it may help it hold steady at a 5 for several years.
Our Greatest Problem Needed a Greater Cure
But while we feel our earthly problems deserve the dramatic solution, we minimize the depth of our real problem. Our biggest earthly issue is just a pebble in our shoe compared to the problem of our sin. And the dramatic solution we really need was given 2000 years ago in Jerusalem.
We always want the faster fix, and that is a good desire. All of our problems, whether physical or spiritual, are the result of the Fall. This world is not the way it should be, and no amount of spiritual disciplines or miles on the walking trail will erase that reality. Our lives and bodies are broken, and we long for the day when it all will be restored.
But despite our longings, that is not how God is working in the here and now. Physical problems will plague us until the day God calls us home. But we will be renewed, and it will all mean something in eternity:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
Our creator knows that we are dust (Psalm 103:14), and he promises to give grace (Isaiah 40:29) Jesus came to us in the flesh. He knows both the physical and emotional pain that comes with living in this world.
I am not suggesting that God put the story of Naaman in Scripture to illustrate the importance of simple solutions. The healing Elisha offered was miraculous, something that most of us will not encounter in this world.
I do think his reaction, though, gives us a glimpse of how we tend to react when help and hope is offered. There are very few dramatic, quick fixes available today. We can’t fix that reality, but we shouldn’t disdain the helps available under common grace.
Our biggest earthly issue is just a pebble in our shoe compared to the problem of our sin. And the dramatic solution we really need was given 2000 years ago in Jerusalem.
Living Between the Already and the Not Yet
Our physical bodies are the means by which we carry out our mission to the world. Emotional and physical struggles may hinder our days, but they don’t negate our purpose. We are called to glorify God in all we do. We may not be able to do it in the way we want, but our loving savior sees us and cares. He is more interested in sincere hearts than impressive tasks. (Hosea 6:6)
Even the healthiest among us are limited by our physical bodies (Isaiah 40:31). God loves us and sees us where we are. We have to walk the journey faithfully, to the best we can. It’s easy to become trapped in futile thinking. What’s one more cookie if we have 50 pounds to lose? What’s one more trip to TJ Maxx if we are thousands of dollars in debt? Success doesn’t always come on our timeline and on our terms. It comes from walking faithfully where we are, and stewarding well the life we have been granted.
It takes faith to believe this when everything around us is telling us otherwise. Our world prioritizes youth, health, and beauty. It’s easy to believe the lies that scream we are not useful if we don’t fit into these categories. But our worth does not come from what the world tells us. Our worth comes from who Christ tells us we are. We are his workmanship, fearfully and wonderfully made. We are his people, who have been called to carry his gospel to a waiting world. Our physical limits might make our world very small, but the harvest field is still there, regardless.
Faithfulness in Small Things
We should not disdain the ordinary things that can make our lives better. Like Naaman, it may seem too small when compared to our problem. But God often sustains us through ordinary things: sleep, medicine, prayer, the encouragemen from other believers, and other expressions of his grace. And even though we might have to receive the “helpful suggestion” through gritted teeth, reflection might prove to us that it has its merit.
We are living in the “already but the not yet.” The dramatic fix we needed, that reversed the curse brought down on us in Genesis 3 happened on the cross. We just have to wait for the full redemption that will come in the next life, and carry out the mission we have to the best of our ability in the meantime.
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