Don't Miss God.

Yesterday, I read the story of Naaman to our children. As I was reading these thoughts came to me. The particular passage that spoke to me was this: 2 Kings: 10-13 which says - And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.' 12 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. 13 And his servants came near and spoke, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?"
Naaman, feeling hurt by not receiving what he thought he would from the prophet Elisha got angry & left in a rage. Seeing that, in his mind, there was nothing special about dipping himself in the Jordan River. I think it is that he did want something special, something just for him. As he said, he thought Elisha would come out, call on the Lord, wave his hand over him and he would be healed. I feel he was also somewhat insulted that a messenger was sent to tell him what to do rather than Elisha himself. After being asked if he would have done the great thing, Naaman finally went and dipped himself in the Jordan 7 times and was healed.
I think so often we find ourselves expecting something grand. For the heavens to open and God's hand to come down and touch us, our circumstances. In a way we can actually see. Although He does, it is in a way we don't even see. Sometimes in a way we don't even acknowledge. I think we get a scenario in our minds as to how a certain situation should be rectified. How we should be cleansed, healed, delivered and when it doesn't go that way, it can be a bit disheartening. What we must remember is, if we trust in God, He will cleanse, heal and deliver us from every situation. From the one's we create, the one's the enemy hurls at us, and the one's He feels we must go through to get closer to Him. For myself, there was a situation that arose in my family that I felt warranted a miracle. That only the parting of the sky could rectify. Unfortunately, for my mortal mind it did not happen. What did happen though was the cleansing, the healing, the deliverance. Though in a way that was not anything like we had imagined. Although it was not our expected manifestation of God's glorious power, it was nonetheless a magnificent manifestation of His Awesome power. Just as Naaman may have done, if we are looking for grand movements of the Lord, we will miss His simplicity.I am reminded of Elijah, how when he thought he was the only one left and in the cave. God came to him, told him to stand on the mountain. And how did God reveal Himself? Not in the strong wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire, but in a still small voice.