ODJ: sky-high
October 27, 2009
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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One has to learn to trust in God even when disillusionment is eating one up. I am trying to do this knowing that He knows me more than I know myself.