Jesus, I am thankful that God caused a part of a certain man’s life to be recorded in His Bible so I can see some important principles about Your love. Expose me to this man named Naaman who lived way back in Old Testament times; help me see that he had a life-problem like me. Show me that even though his problem wasn’t the same as mine, he was suffering like me. Help me be able to identify with his disease called leprosy; help me feel what it would be like for there to be no chance of me ever being cured. Let me feel what it would be like for a disease to eat away on my body like it was his body until it killed me. Show me that it was like cancer; but, it only attacked and destroyed the body from the outside in. Take me through this man’s life; help me see how follow God’s instructions to the letter will work miracles in my life.

2 Ki 5:1 (NIV) Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

Jesus, help me realize that everyone has some kind of major problem that they are having to face. It may not be anything like my problem with marriage; but, it is causing them just as much stress, difficulty, and challenge. Help me realize that my issue isn’t unique, worse, or more difficult than everyone elses. Help see that if I feel like no one understands my problem or can identify with my pain, I will feel like there are no answers or solutions that address me and my problem. Show me that if I don’t know that Jesus totally understands and cares deeply about what I am suffering, then I exclude Him from my life.

2 Ki 5:2 (NIV) Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. Jesus, You caused me to find someone or something that helped me find this course with You. Make it clear to me that it wasn’t an accident; it was You that saw to it that I discovered the answer to my problems. You were making sure that I got the help I needed. You didn’t make me listen or force me to make the moves into reaching out for this help; but, You made sure I was helped to find it. Thank You, Jesus, for making sure I found the help I needed.

2 Ki 5:3 (NIV) She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” Jesus, just like it was important for this young girl to share this information, it was important for people to make sure I got Your kind of help. Help me always keep in mind that You can do what no other person can do; teach me that everyone who is helped by You needs to spread the word.

Jesus, teach me that this girl was saying something that was very unlikely. She was saying that God could heal a disease that was incurable as far as all these people were concerned. They had NEVER seen ANYONE get leprosy and survive the disease. But, help me appreciate the fact that this young girl knew what God was able to do; AND, she shared it. Even though sharing such information could have caused her to be laughed at, ridiculed, or rejected, she did it anyway. Show me that even though the world is telling me I have to go through major steps of grief, take me through wonderful steps of healing.

2 Ki 5:4 (NIV) Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. Jesus, help me see that finding the possible answer is only part of the issue; it needs to be acted on. Show me that if I found out about what You are able to do for me and I just thought about it, it wouldn’t help me. Help me see that Naaman took action and started heading toward the answer. James 2:17 says: “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Jesus, teach me that this is an important Biblical principle; if You give me the faith to believe something, it becomes my responsibility to ACT on it; but, make it clear to me that this action isn’t human action. When You give me faith for something and it empowers me to believe that I have my answer, show me that my next important spiritual step is to pray and ask You to empower me to ACT. This prayer takes it from my human action to Your supernatural action.

2 Ki 5:5 (NIV) “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. Jesus, teach me that the things of God are always gifts; teach me that it is offensive to God for me to try to earn or deserve His gifts. But, help me understand that when I come out of a system where I typically have to do or pay something to get help, it is difficult for me to make the transition.

Eph 2:8-9 (NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. Jesus, teach me that this is another important Biblical principle; make it clear to me that EVERYTHING in Christianity that comes through God comes as a gift. Teach me that it doesn’t have anything to do with earning them, buying them, or deserving them. Help me see that He is healing me from my issues with marriage as a love gift from Him.

2 Ki 5:6-7 (NIV) The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”

Jesus, teach me that it is typical for me to misunderstand where I must go to get the help I need. I may have gone a lot of places that I thought could help me. BUT, help me see that just because the first things I tried didn’t work does NOT mean THERE IS NO ANSWER. Thank You for helping me be like Naaman, You helped me keep seeking; and, God saw to it that I came to these studies and prayers. God is seeing to it that I get the right type of help from the right type of ministry.

2 Ki 5:8 (NIV) When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

Jesus, teach me that God was using the king of Isreal in a mighty way for leading the people. But, He was using Elisha in a mighty way for helping people like Naaman. Teach me that if I am seeking a relationship with You and I go to a person who is a Christian, but, I want something from them that, that person isn’t being used by You for, then it can have disappointing results. Teach me that, that person could be used by You in other areas in a mighty way; they just aren’t spiritually qualified for that particular assignment. Show me that You are helping me by seeing to it I am getting the help I need through the people who You are using to meet MY needs.

2 Ki 5:9 (NIV) So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.

Jesus, teach me that, as I am searching for help with my struggles concerning marriage, I will start getting great help from You through this program. But, I might find something else that I would like to try. Help me see that You will give me very important steps through this program. However, the new program I try will have me do things that are contrary to what You are teaching me to do. If I decide to go ahead and do things that are different or contrary to what You are leading me into, YOU WILL STEP BACK. Make it clear to me that You are very gentle and free-will honoring; You will require that I give up anything that is different or contrary to what You are telling me to do. You will NOT allow me to mix other things with Your methods. You require all Christians to be pure and fully commited to the TRUTH.

2 Ki 5:10 (NIV) Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

Jesus, teach me that the Bible makes a lot of statements like this; it is very positive that I WILL get the RESULTS I am seeking. However, help me understand that it is MANDATORY that I do what it says. If I come up with ANY reason to try to improve on it, change it, ignore parts of it, mix other systems with it, or refuse to follow it, it WILL NOT work! Then, if I do that, it will be up to me as to how I react. I can claim that I tried it and it failed to work for me; or, I can go over my failure and find out what I did wrong that kept it from working. Empower me to allow You to convice me that Your system works, then I will be able to trust YOU and doubt MY procedures; help me realize that I did something wrong.

2 Ki 5:11 (NIV) But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Jesus, when I find myself offended by something You are asking me to do, let me ALWAYS ask You to help me with my attitudes. Show me that You don’t mind helping me understand WHY You are asking me to do something. BUT, if I walk away, then I will walk away unhealed, not blessed, and not helped.

2 Ki 5:12 (NIV) Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

Jesus, teach me that pride is my enemy; when I get to a place where I think I know better, show me that I am jeopardizing my OWN healing, blessings, and help. Like Naaman, what do I have to lose? Why wouldn’t I just give it a try? Just like it wasn’t that hard for him to go to the river Jordan and wash himself seven times, it isn’t that hard for me to start looking to You. It was worth it for Naaman to at least try and SEE IF it cleansed him from the deadly disease of leprosy. And, it is worth it for me to see if I can be set free from marriage. Make it clear to me that You are all about results! As I read the Gospels and the rest of the Bible, show me that it is all about supernatural, miraculous, and God-sized results. In Naaman’s case, he didn’t YET have any results from doing what Elisha said; but, I do have results from doing things You have asked me to do!

2 Ki 5:13 (NIV) Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” Jesus, I am dealing with something that is causing me a lot of problems, difficulties, and pain. Help me see that I have too much at stake to get so prideful that I refuse to let You prove Yourself to me. Show me that finding the right method is just the beginning; using the right method brings Your results. Teach me that the more results I get from You, the more I will be able to do everything You say. BUT, make it clear to me that I can’t experience that results if I won’t just go ahead and give Your instructions a try.

Jesus, help me realize that Your instructions are just as strict as the instructions of Elisha. If Naaman hadn’t dipped seven time in the right river, he wouldn’t have been healed. If he went to the right river and washed six times, he wouldn’t have been healed. If he went to the right river and did something else seven times, he wouldn’t have been healed. Help me realize that he had to follow the instructions to the letter. “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” Help me understand this important principle.

2 Ki 5:14 (NIV) So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. Jesus, this part of Naaman’s journey was simple, easy, and fast. But, my studies, that are taking me into Your healing process may sometimes seem to be a lot longer and a lot more complicated. Help me consider some important things. Naaman’s journey started way back in his own country when he first heard about the possibility of being cured. Let me see that a lot had to take place before he got this result; his journey wasn’t just washing seven times in the river Jordan. Plus, as wonderful as it was that Naaman got healed, that was all he got. He wasn’t going to die of leprosy anymore; but, the rest of his life remained unchanged. Make it clear to me that A LOT more is happening to me than me just being healed from my issues with marriage.

Jesus, help me see that You are going to use my problems with marriage to lead me into a set of methods that will change my ENTIRE life. You are just USING my issues with marriage to teach me these important procedures. You are preparing me for being extremely trained, skillful, and experienced in how to live as a child of God in His eternal Kingdom. Show me that it is when I am DOING those things the Bible tells me to do that I start getting the results I am looking for.

Jesus, help me realize that many have tried to get things from God without being willing to find out what it takes. Teach me that these people have failed to get the results they were looking for and concluded that God doesn’t answer prayer. Help me see that, that is why they got discouraged and started looking elsewhere for help. Then when someone tries to get them to look to You for their help, they feel like they have already tried that. Help me always remember that Naaman only got the results he was looking for by doing what it took to get that result from God.