Your Problem Serves a Purpose

2 Kings 5: 1-2, 'Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife.' Our text peaks into the private life of a soldier…we can see what Naaman actually looks like without his armor…I wonder who you really are without your armor on? Many scholars believe that it was the arrow of Naaman that struck Ahab in the last battle against Israel – this propelled his career, and so now, he’s the captain of the host. He’s definitely earned his stripes and respect on the field of battle, BUT…he was a leper…A secret problem, but very relevant…beneath all of your tapestry…what are you hiding? This is why I serve God, because a relationship with God goes deeper than the shining ministry I hold; it reaches down into the toxic wasteland of my soul…Naaman had to come home and deal with what’s under his armor; behind closed doors…and so do you. Naaman can slay thousands of men in battle, but cannot conquer his own flesh…yet, we will all discover that our problems serve a purpose. It’s at home where he reveals his vulnerability, but in the presence of a servant girl…a little girl whom he stole from the Israel in his victory of battle…He was probably afflicted with leprosy because of what he did…but it didn’t change his attitude towards her…’Who are you to me anyway?’ This girl was nothing to him; she was a slave, snatched from her home and family; she was an immigrant, poor > and in spite of where she now was in life > her problem was disguised as a purpose. Now, she could’ve complained about her situation, she decided to testify to her captor about deliverance she will never receive! She didn’t realize at the time, that she had more power than he did! Naaman became great because of what he did – she was greater because of who she knew! Who you know will always trump what you do. So, the real test of character is what you do with power – when you have an advantage…Naaman was at the mercy of a ‘Little Maid’ (on the outside) God allowed Naaman to take captive the very cure to his crisis…oftentimes what you conquer can hold your cure. - Conquer your prayer life - Conquer your devotion / personal witness / liberality – there’s healing and deliverance there. Psalm 37:23-24 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. This sounds good, so long as our steps are going upward, but what do you do when you are ordered to go down? Is He just your God in the good times… She made the decision to help her captor! LISTEN* Whenever you hold back on what you COULD do, God holds back on what He can do! You are no more deserving of the blessing you seek, than the blessing you hold from the person you hate* Mercy Produces Mighty Verse 3 - Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” But, how bad do you wanna be delivered? She tells him to go back to the same country he just vanquished! He tries to dance around the issues by consulting kings…what Naaman seeks can’t be found in the palace; it’s in your HUMILITY He had to go down, while trying to go up! The way out may not be what you thought…His deliverance came through humility. He had to go DOWN from Syria to Israel; from the palace to the prophet’s house, from the prophet to a servant, from the servant to the Jordan River. Go low enough – and you’ll find healing and exaltation… James 4:6 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The instructions were to dip 7 times! This can’t be a one time thing. You can’t have a quick fix in your character. One altar call won’t cut it – one act of worship / prayer / devotion is not enough…there’s always heartache and discouragement…’Might as well give up!’ ‘Might as well leave the church’ – you probably only tried just a handful of times, or you continue to do the same things expecting different results… However, when Naaman dipped the 7th time…EVERYTHING CHANGED! *I wonder if the leprosy on the outside was a true indication of what was happening on the inside? Naaman’s pride was in the way – your deliverance should be more important than your image… This entire episode has nothing to do with Naaman directly…but it does have a lot to do with Syria… Now that Naaman is healed, he can take that deliverance (along with dirt), back to Syria and worship God! The same country that was a sworn enemy, now has a dignitary that is willing to worship their God, establish His name in an enemy territory – and display the mighty works of healing there! This is one of the rare moments in the Old Testament where you see God reaching for Gentiles! What impact can God make through your life? You must humble yourself and let God be God first…the rest…we’ll see.