I’ll do it my way

Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?"So he turned and went away in a rage. – 2 Kings 5v12

Namaan was a very important man. He was a leading general of the Syrian army. He was great and honourable. He was strong and brave. God had used him to give Syria great military victories. If he were alive today he would be the kind of guy to be Time’s Man of the Year. Whenever there was a military even the networks and websites would always want an interview with him. But Namaan had a problem.

Namaan was a leper. Leprosy was something to be ashamed of. The lepers were seen as unclean and they were cast out of society. Not only that, leprosy was a killer.

So, what to do? A young Jewish girl had been captured on a raid and was serving Namaan’s wife. She knew that Elisha could help. The king used his authority and resources to get to Elisha. His solution was simple enough – tell Namaan to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed.

Namaan did not like that advice! ‘Why should I have to travel to that stinking Jordan River? We have great rivers here in Damascus. I could wash in them and get clean!’

He then walked away in a huff. Namaan was the kind of guy who wanted to do it his way.

The problem is that his way would not work. His problem is the same one that we can run in to today. We always think that our way is just as good as, or maybe even better than God’s way. If God’s way does not ‘make sense’ to us we figure that our way must be better.

But there was only one way for Namaan to be healed. He had to follow God’s instructions. Eventually he did – he obeyed and he was miraculously healed.

God’s way and only God’s way worked. The same is true for us. No matter what situation we are in or how logical our solution may seem God’s way is the only way. In many cases God does not give us clear direction; He just gives us the good sense to make wise decisions. But there are times when God says one thing and our logic says another. When that happens doing it our way is not going to work.

Let’s learn from Namaan, swallow our pride, and do it God’s way.