You Want Me to Do What?

You ever ask that question?  I have.  I ask a lot of questions because I don't have a lot of answers and sometimes I just want to know what's up.

Have you ever asked that question when you were told to do something?  Such as, "Hey, go jump in a pool of blood and get out cow livers with your teeth for 50 grand."  (Yes, that was a Fear Factor reference.) You naturally respond with, "Come on, man."

That's about how Naaman was.  His wife had a girl that had been taken from Israel that worked for her.  The little girl said there is a prophet there that would cure him of being a leper.

See Naaman wasn't just another guy.  He was the commander of the Syrian army.  He was highly favored by his master.  He was a well to do man with leprosy.  That was a problem.

So he requested to go to Israel.  He talked with the king and the king flipped out on him essentially.  Elisha heard about this and sent him a message.  He said Naaman go wash in the Jordan seven times and you will be clean of leprosy.

Simple enough, right?  I think so, too.

Naaman though expected the miracle would come by the prophet calling upon God and waving his hand over him and boom.  Healed.  No.  He was to go wash.  Now the Jordan to Naaman was dirty compared to the rivers of Damascus.  He walked off mad because this is not what he expected.

Have you ever done that?  You expected God to move one way, and instead He provides in a completely different way.  Think about it.  You probably were ticked off.

I know I had prayed for a job in college.  I got a job in Kentucky.  Four hours away from home.  I was mad.  I wanted to move home with my fiance, family, friends, and the place a I grew up!

See God provided what I had asked for, yet I had the audacity to be mad.  I never asked for a particular place.  Just a job.  He provided. (I have to say it was a blessing.  I have some great friends from there.  MJ, Josh, Lindsey, the Denisios, and Austin!!  I learned a lot and have started the journey into my calling in ministry with a swift kick in the pants from God and my buddy Mitch.)

Naaman does the same thing.  He thought it would happen in one way, but it was meant to be in another.  Finally, he submitted to the words of the prophet and was healed.  Imagine that, right?

See we get mad about God not working our miracle in the way we want our miracle worked.  We are actually upset that the miracle occurs because it wasn't our way!  How crazy is that?

We have to understand that God will provide and we have no control over how He provides.  We just need to realize that we have received the miracle instead of complaining about it!

Have you received a miracle you were mad about because it wasn't your way?