S: 2 Kings 5:1-3 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife. She told her mistress, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”
2 Kings 5:15 He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman came and stood before him. He said, “For sure I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.”
O: Visualize this. A young girl, living with her loving family. Her parents taught her to love the LORD. One day, invaders come and kill her parents, rape her and her sisters, drag her and her brothers and sisters off to a foreign land, where she is separated from her brothers and sisters, never to see them again, and made into a slave for commander of the army that did this to her.
If you were her, would you have kept your faith in that kind of situation?
But this unnamed girl, whom I look forward to meeting one day in heaven, not only kept her faith but even shared the unconditional love of God with her captors and told him how he could be healed! As a result, the head of the army of Syria repented and became a follower of the One True God.
A: I have been blessed in my life. I was brought up by loving parents, like that little girl, but I was never snatched away. I got a decent education. I have a decent job. I have a loving wife and children.
Yet, sometimes I am so timid to share the love of God. I often find it hard to love those who annoy me, let alone my enemies.
P: Father, help me to love my enemies as Jesus taught us to. Help me to be bold in sharing the love of God. In Jesus' name, amen.
Back in 2011, I read this passage and did this Life Journal entry with a different emphasis.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
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