ODJ: sky-high
I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me (v.11).
READ: 2 Kings 5:1-15
The scrolling message on the TV screen warned us to take cover immediately, and the shadowy sky confirmed we were in for one whopper of a storm. The power flickered on and off. I grabbed a flashlight and carted my 9-month-old son down into the basement.
When I anxiously called my husband at work, he picked up but quickly asked me to “Hold please.” I wondered, How could he just brush me off in the middle of an emergency? Even though he worked 45 miles away where it was still bright and sunny, my sky-high expectations demanded his full attention on the phone right then!
It’s apparent that Naaman (see 2 Kings 5) and I have both had to deal with great expectations. He, however, was dealing with a far different situation than mine—leprosy. Desperate for a cure, he went to the prophet Elisha, who didn’t give Naaman the personal attention he craved. Elisha’s instructions to wash “seven times in the Jordan River” (v.10) came through a messenger. Instead of being thankful for a cure, Naaman sneered, “I thought [Elisha] would certainly come out to meet me” (v.11).
It wasn’t just the lack of tender loving care that bothered Naaman. He wanted immediate healing. He expected Elisha to “wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal [him]” (v.11). When this didn’t happen, he “turned and went away in a rage” (v.12).
Like Naaman, our overblown expectations can breed anger and bitterness. Often it’s our friends and family who pay the price when we wrongly demand that they meet all of our needs. Instead, we need to remember that only God can do that. He promised, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5). We can rest in His unlimited care and provision. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
How have some of your unmet expectations caused you to feel angry or bitter toward others? What steps will you take to lean more fully on God to meet your needs?
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Loading ...ODB: “Light” of creation
October 27, 2009
READ: Job 37:1-18
[God] does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. —Job 5:9
Among the wonders of Jamaica is a body of water called Luminous Lagoon. By day, it is a nondescript bay on the country’s northern coast. By night, it is a marvel of nature.
If you visit there after dark, you notice that the water is filled with millions of phosphorescent organisms. Whenever there is movement, the water and the creatures in the bay glow. When fish swim past your boat, for example, they light up like waterborne fireflies. As the boat glides through the water, the wake shines brightly.
The wonder of God’s creation leaves us speechless, and this is just a small part of the total mystery package of God’s awesome handiwork as spelled out in Job 37 and 38. Listen to what the Lord’s role is in nature’s majesty: “Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes His lightning flash?” (37:15 niv); “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside?” (38:19 niv). God’s majestic creations—whether dazzling lightning or glowing fish—are mysteries to us. But as God reminded Job, all of the wonders of our world are His creative handiwork.
When we observe God’s amazing creation, our only response can be that of Job: These are “things too wonderful for me” (42:3). — Dave Branon
When we cease to wonder, we cease to worship.
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