She was a young Jewish girl and a slave in the household of a Syrian soldier. Like many other females in the Bible, we do not know her name. Yet the only recorded words she spoke live on almost 3,000 years later. The writer of the book of Kings tells us, “And she said unto her mistress, ‘Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy'” (2 Kings 5:3, KJV).
Verses 4-15 record the story of Naaman and his healing from the dreaded disease. However, central to the story are the young girl’s words. Because she had the courage to mention the God of Israel and his servant the prophet in a household in what to her was a foreign land, her witness set in motion the chain of events behind this narrative. So what is the big deal? Consider this. She was captured in Israel, taken to Syria, and was made a servant in the house of Naaman (v. 2). She was far away from her home, isolated from her family and from the worship of her God. If anyone had an excuse to abandon the God of Israel, she did! Seen from the human perspective, He had not protected her from the Syrian raiders and He had not kept her out of a life of slavery! She had more than enough reasons to complain, yet despite her circumstances not being the best, she had not abandoned her faith in the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isacc. On the contrary, she was looking for opportunities to spread His message and light in the place where she had been taken. The flame of her faith was still burning and she was not afraid to declare that faith to the people around her.
Contrast her attitude with that of those of us who use our situation in life as an excuse for not being able to be faithful to God and not being able to be a witness for Him. Struggling through sicknesses, financial distress, family crisis, being the only Christian at home or in the workplace, and whatever else, some ask, “Why should I keep faith in God when He has not been all that helpful to me?” Because some of us do not trust God when we find ourselves in difficult places, we often feel He has abandoned us; we find it difficult to stay true to our faith. However, in an environment that was hostile to her race, country, and faith, the young girl remained faithful.
Pastor Tim Chester was right when he said, “Notice that the girl didn’t have to heal Naaman herself, or even pray for him to be healed; all she had to do was point him in the right direction. . . . Her role was really a very small role, but it was a vital one nonetheless. Without Elisha, Naaman could not have been healed, but without the young girl, Naaman would never have gone to Elisha to ask for healing.” That is powerful stuff! I believe God’s people are everywhere with a message of hope for a world that is lost. In their search for answers, people need someone to tell them about Jesus. Why are you where you are? Are you there by accident, or is it possible that you are there on assignment?
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