"Wash, and be clean."

 ⁹ Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ ¹² Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. ¹³ And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” - 2 Kings 5:9-13

     "Wash, and be clean." Such simple instructions for Naaman to follow. A great leader, struck with leprosy and desperate for a way to be healed. Naaman has trusted the word of a young slave and traveled through Israel to find Elisha. Now that he has completed his quest, Elisha sends his servant to tell Naaman to wash in the Jordan river. Such an easy remedy, yet Naaman is furious. He was expecting a face to face meeting with Elisha, followed by an exciting, miraculous event. Being greeted by a servant and told to wash in a dirty river was a slap in the face to such an important man. What a mockery! Could he not just wash in one of his own rivers which are much cleaner? Naaman obviously struggled with his pride and a need to be impressed. Sadly, I must admit that I often mirror Naaman's faults. When I serve God I want to see marvelous miracles. I want to spend a day sharing the Gospel and then see them all show up at church and receive salvation the next day. I want to feel important. I want to feel a sense of accomplishment. And what about my way? My plan? Aren't my "rivers" cleaner and better? Isn't my way just as good as what God says? None of this works in the life of a Christian. We are commanded to faithfully serve God even without any earthly reward. We have a great commission to share Jesus with the world whether they respond or not. I am required to serve, even if my service goes unnoticed. Serving God is not about seeing amazing miracles every day. Serving God is not about my feelings of importance and pride. Serving God is about bringing glory to my Creator and Savior. And just like Naaman, the problem is often because the plan seems so simple. Religions around the world will deny pleasantries and put themselves through torture to attain heaven, yet the refuse to accept the free gift of salvation. Surely God's plan can't be so simple! I will ignore the simple truth in my life and choose the hard way, my way. It can't be as simple as "Wash, and be clean." God is looking for simple, child-like faith. He wants our faithful service even when we see no results. He has promised a reward in heaven and He has already given the reward of a sanctified life. What greater reward is there? Naaman overcame his pride and obeyed. Am I man enough to do the same?