Sometimes God heals us "out of" our circumstances, and then again, sometimes, He heals us "through" them. I'll never forget learning that eye-opening truth in the Beth Moore Bible study, Daniel. For some reason, that statement made perfect sense to me. Something as difficult as the healing or "non-healing" of God, was finally made accessible and totally understandable to my finite brain.
Both of these situations - healing "out of" adversity and healing "through" adversity - can be found in the Biblical narrative of Naaman.
Naaman was a man who had everything going for him. In II Kings 5, we learn that he was a powerful man in the Syrian army - 2nd in command. He was well-respected by his master, the king. He was a valiant warrior (vs.1). Even his name in Hebrew, means "delightful, pleasant, beautiful"(Bible.org). Despite his stellar reputation and brilliance, Naaman was a physically desperate man. In the last part of verse one, the description of Naaman takes a tailspin: "but he was a leper." Boom. That was it. Unless something miraculous happened, the Great Naaman - the leader of the Syrian army - the pride of Syria - was doomed.
Fast forward: Naaman was healed "out of" his adversity. He journeyed to see Elisha, who sent word for him to wash in the Jordan river seven times. Naaman, unappreciative of the lack of pomp and circumstance presented to him at his arrival at Elisha's house, was angered. He had no desire to take a dip in a dirty river. After all, there were cleaner rivers back in Syria. However, after much pleading by his servant, the prideful Naaman, humbled himself and did as the prophet had said. He went into the dirty Jordan a leper and came out of the dirty Jordan, cleaner than ever! And get this...after experiencing his healing, Naaman became a believer in YAWEH and ultimately took that belief of the One true God, back to his pagan land of Syria.
Yeah! All's well that ends well.
But wait, there's more. There's another player in this saga...a much smaller player...who's healing didn't come in a "Yeah!" moment. Nope. God didn't heal her "out of" her adversity. Instead, God healed her "through" it.
We don't know a lot about this little girl, other than she was a slave to Naaman's wife after being stolen from her home by the raiding Syrians. I can't even begin to imagine living the life of this little one. It must have been traumatic.
On the upside, she was probably treated very well and had the finest things life could offer a servant girl. But she was still a slave and all alone...separated from her Mom and Dad, brothers, sisters, and friends forever. She knew she would probably never see them - nor her homeland again. Everything she had known was gone...never to be revisited again.
If I was in her shoes, it would probably please me to no end that my captor/master had contracted the disease so feared by my people. I would secretly glory in the revenge taken upon this man who ripped me from my home to live in bondage for the rest of my life.
We're not told if she ever felt this way, but somehow, somewhere, in the midst of her adversity, this little girl found healing "through" these emotional scars. For you see, it was she that told Naaman's wife where he could find healing. Obviously, God did an amazing work in her little life, so that she didn't hold a grudge against her master, but instead, decided that God knew all things and that He still had all things under control, whether it looked like it or not. She allowed God to heal her deep hurts THROUGH her circumstances, as she trusted Him to be in control OF her circumstances.
I find it interesting that we never hear of her again. We don't know if she received her freedom for her advice, but more likely than not, she didn't. I believe she probably stayed with Naaman's wife the rest of her life - taking care of the one who's husband stole her away from her family. But somehow, I don't think it mattered to her, because she saw God not only heal her THROUGH her adversity, but also change everyone else in her life BY her adversity.
Whatever place you find yourself in today, whether you need healing physically or emotionally, or both, know that God can heal - that He does heal - that He wants to heal. But also recognize that that healing may not come in the way you'd expect. Also, know that what He's doing in the adversity that you wish He'd take away may not just be for your good, but for the good of those around you. And finally, just know that He knows what He's doing. So whether He chooses to heal you out of it or through it, trust Him to know which is best.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
So What Do We Do Now?
So what do we do now? Easter is over. The excitement and thrill of the resurrection of Christ stands as a distinct, yet distant, memory of this passed Sunday. All the celebrations and giving of thanks...all the Easter musicals performed by church choirs...all the deliciously prepared meals and Easter egg hunts...they're all over until next year.
So what do we do now? Do we just go on with life, never considering the resurrection until next spring?
In deciding that, I think we somehow have to get it into our heads that Easter Sunday or Resurrection Day, isn't just one day a year. It's not just an event that happened over two thousand years ago or something that we build ourselves up for once a year. The resurrection of Christ is SOO much more.
To Christians, it is everything.
Our faith, as Believers in Christ, hinges on the belief that God resurrected Christ. Without this supernatural event in the life of the Christ, Christianity would be a joke, and we would be the most pitiful of all people caught believing in a lie. There would be no hope of eternal security and no promise of an abundant life.
But JOKE, it is not. For the resurrection DID happen. Christ DID appear to His disciples, as well as over 400 other people before He finally ascended into heaven. He DID appear to the two men on the Road to Emmaus and teach them about Himself using the Old Testament. He did reconcile a beautiful relationship between Himself and Peter, who denied Him three times before mere men. He did eat fish, walk through walls, and cook breakfast for the disciples.
He truly DID rise again.
But what do we do with that information in the 21st century? What relevance to our everyday lives does it have, if any? What changes do we need to make in light of what we not only know to be true, but what has taken place deep within our own souls?
Well, what did the disciples of Christ do in the light of the resurrected Christ? Do you think they just celebrated one day by having a good meal, singing some musical stanzas down by the Sea of Galilee, hiding some Easter eggs (okay, so they didn't have Easter eggs back then), taking a nap and then going on with their daily life?
Not hardly.
The resurrection of Christ infiltrated the early disciples' lives. It affected their decisions. It took cowards who deserted Jesus in the garden and turned them into men and women willing to pay the ultimate cost for their belief in the resurrection. It changed them...not just internally for eternity, but daily for the rest of their lives.
Take Peter, for example. This boisterous disciple who denied Christ three times BEFORE the resurrection, never denied Him AFTER. He became the leader of the early Church and preached all throughout the countryside, telling others of the resurrection of Jesus. He penned at least two books of the Bible, while enduring persecution by the Jews and Romans...eventually being crucified for his faith. That doesn't sound like someone who treated the resurrection as just another day. That sounds like someone who really lived it out...who really believed that Christ's resurrection was real and had meaning for his "every day." He said, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope (emphasis mine) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (I Peter 1:3-5).
The "living hope" of the resurrection obviously changed Peter's day-to-day. My question is...shouldn't it change ours? And my answer to you and myself is a resounding, "YES, YES!" This "living hope" that Peter preached about shouldn't just be a part of my Easter experience, it should be with me when I awake every morning. It should exude from me when I go to the grocery store or drive my car in downtown traffic. It should shine from my life, so that others may wonder what it is that makes me so strong, when I should be so weak...for this hope that Christ gives to us, because of His resurrection is a living hope. It is alive and active in us...on a daily basis.
So what does it take for this living hope to become a part of our daily lives? It takes thought and effort. It takes intentionally spending time with Jesus. It takes making ourselves focus on the "Author and Perfector of our faith," when all we can physically see at the moment looks less than perfect. It takes concentrating on His thoughts every minute of the day...about how He wants to orchestrate our lives - good and bad - into something useful for His kingdom. It takes time spent contemplating the greatness and goodness of God. I think then, we will start to understand this hope that lives within us through the resurrection of Christ. Then, we will "live" Easter all year long.
My prayer is that you and I will truly experience this living hope in life today...that where-ever you and I may go, our hope will go with us and be lived out in us. May the resurrection be a celebration of our daily lives today...and not just our Easters.
Dear Jesus...Help us today to live a life of hope...the hope You provided, when You folded Your grave clothes ever so neatly and opened the grave for all to see You weren't there! Help us focus on the things that cause that resurrected life to surface in us today...things that remind us of our hope in You. Thank You for Easter, Jesus...and for the daily reminder that You live in us. We love You. Praise You, Jesus. Praise You.
So what do we do now? Do we just go on with life, never considering the resurrection until next spring?
In deciding that, I think we somehow have to get it into our heads that Easter Sunday or Resurrection Day, isn't just one day a year. It's not just an event that happened over two thousand years ago or something that we build ourselves up for once a year. The resurrection of Christ is SOO much more.
To Christians, it is everything.
Our faith, as Believers in Christ, hinges on the belief that God resurrected Christ. Without this supernatural event in the life of the Christ, Christianity would be a joke, and we would be the most pitiful of all people caught believing in a lie. There would be no hope of eternal security and no promise of an abundant life.
But JOKE, it is not. For the resurrection DID happen. Christ DID appear to His disciples, as well as over 400 other people before He finally ascended into heaven. He DID appear to the two men on the Road to Emmaus and teach them about Himself using the Old Testament. He did reconcile a beautiful relationship between Himself and Peter, who denied Him three times before mere men. He did eat fish, walk through walls, and cook breakfast for the disciples.
He truly DID rise again.
But what do we do with that information in the 21st century? What relevance to our everyday lives does it have, if any? What changes do we need to make in light of what we not only know to be true, but what has taken place deep within our own souls?
Well, what did the disciples of Christ do in the light of the resurrected Christ? Do you think they just celebrated one day by having a good meal, singing some musical stanzas down by the Sea of Galilee, hiding some Easter eggs (okay, so they didn't have Easter eggs back then), taking a nap and then going on with their daily life?
Not hardly.
The resurrection of Christ infiltrated the early disciples' lives. It affected their decisions. It took cowards who deserted Jesus in the garden and turned them into men and women willing to pay the ultimate cost for their belief in the resurrection. It changed them...not just internally for eternity, but daily for the rest of their lives.
Take Peter, for example. This boisterous disciple who denied Christ three times BEFORE the resurrection, never denied Him AFTER. He became the leader of the early Church and preached all throughout the countryside, telling others of the resurrection of Jesus. He penned at least two books of the Bible, while enduring persecution by the Jews and Romans...eventually being crucified for his faith. That doesn't sound like someone who treated the resurrection as just another day. That sounds like someone who really lived it out...who really believed that Christ's resurrection was real and had meaning for his "every day." He said, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope (emphasis mine) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (I Peter 1:3-5).
The "living hope" of the resurrection obviously changed Peter's day-to-day. My question is...shouldn't it change ours? And my answer to you and myself is a resounding, "YES, YES!" This "living hope" that Peter preached about shouldn't just be a part of my Easter experience, it should be with me when I awake every morning. It should exude from me when I go to the grocery store or drive my car in downtown traffic. It should shine from my life, so that others may wonder what it is that makes me so strong, when I should be so weak...for this hope that Christ gives to us, because of His resurrection is a living hope. It is alive and active in us...on a daily basis.
So what does it take for this living hope to become a part of our daily lives? It takes thought and effort. It takes intentionally spending time with Jesus. It takes making ourselves focus on the "Author and Perfector of our faith," when all we can physically see at the moment looks less than perfect. It takes concentrating on His thoughts every minute of the day...about how He wants to orchestrate our lives - good and bad - into something useful for His kingdom. It takes time spent contemplating the greatness and goodness of God. I think then, we will start to understand this hope that lives within us through the resurrection of Christ. Then, we will "live" Easter all year long.
My prayer is that you and I will truly experience this living hope in life today...that where-ever you and I may go, our hope will go with us and be lived out in us. May the resurrection be a celebration of our daily lives today...and not just our Easters.
Dear Jesus...Help us today to live a life of hope...the hope You provided, when You folded Your grave clothes ever so neatly and opened the grave for all to see You weren't there! Help us focus on the things that cause that resurrected life to surface in us today...things that remind us of our hope in You. Thank You for Easter, Jesus...and for the daily reminder that You live in us. We love You. Praise You, Jesus. Praise You.
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