But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.
– St. Paul to Timothy
The one leper came back. He realized his leprosy was gone, and he was so thankful! He turned around and returned to Jesus, thanking him profusely. He was so grateful. He acknowledged God’s grace that had enveloped him.
Naaman was saying, “you want me to do what?” How is that going to heal my leprosy? He expected Elisha to simply wave his hand and he would be healed. To top it off, Elisha was asking Naaman to plunge himself in the Jordan. Even two thousand years ago the Jordan was muddy and dirty. Naaman was like, “Don’t you think I should go to the waters by Damascus?” These fresh, clean mountain streams were typically where people went to be healed. Not the dirty Jordan.
Nonetheless, he trusted in Elisha. He probably thought, “what do I have to lose?” But upon doing what he was asked to do, he was healed. He realized this and was so thankful. He returned and acknowledged Who was the true God – and he was so grateful for His grace.
You see the trend here? We’re all going to go through our own “leprosy” in life. Our leprosy may be another disease, like cancer. Or it may be through constant struggle where we just can’t seem to catch a break. There will be times when we lose someone close to us and the heartache seems unbearable. There will be times when we encounter tragedies that simply make no sense whatsoever. “Why would God let this happen?”, we ask. So many things in this world do not make sense.
Which is all the more reason why we need to be like Naaman. What have we got to lose? When we see the senseless tragedies that happen in our communities and this world, what else can we do but turn to God and simply ask Him to give you the strength to get through it. What else can we do but ask Him to be with others, those going through it, and help them to see His grace amidst the shroud of darkness in their lives. We ask Him to give us strength, and to use our struggles for some sort of better good.
Because in these times, when we’re struggling with our own leprosy in life – we can’t see the good. We get so distraught with the pain and distress in a given situation, and we can’t possibly see God’s plan. We’re human. He doesn’t want these bad things to happen to us, but He also knows that by letting them happen, it is a means for us to come back to Him. If life was all rainbows and butterflies all the time – that ugly thing called pride takes hold. This is our fallen condition. We have to be broken down from time to time.
It’s only after the fact where we can sometimes see a glimpse of what graces have been given to us because of our trials. And it’s only a glimpse because we can’t possibly see or understand all the good that God does, and all those who we touch through our actions. Because we’re human.
I love contemplating this. I think about the times in my life when I’ve been distraught and was going through a tough time. When you’re in the heat of a battle, you’re just trying to survive. You’re just trying to make it through. In times like this I came back to my faith, because, what else do I have to lose?
I didn’t understand why things were happening. I didn’t understand why I felt the way I did and why I had to go through this particular situation. But I trusted that God would give me the strength to get through it.
I think that was the only thing I did believe. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know why. Why does God let some things happen? I questioned a lot. I was angry a lot. At one point, I just could not understand why certain things were taking place. Jesus and I had some pretty serious conversations, usually with me telling Him what I thought my plan should be. He just listened. And the more He did not answer, the more upset I got.
But the one thing I never forgot, the one thing I always believed comes from a favorite verse of mine, from 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength, but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you will be able to bear it.”
This got me through, and what continues to get me through the valleys in life, that if I trust God long enough, that he will get me though this and provide a way out, and maybe someday help me to understand. So this takes me to the verse that I opened with today, from our second reading in Paul’s second letter to Timothy.
God is always faithful to us, even in those times where we are not so faithful back. Even in those times where we may not have faith in how His plan is unfolding, and where we may fail Him – we can still believe and trust in Him that He will provide a way out. Things happen out of our control. This is the world we live in. But Christ comes to us in these moments, and helps us to see Who is in control.
This is how he brings us closer to Him. He fills us with His grace during these times. It may not be a healing, or the solution we want – but He gives us the grace we need to get through it. We’ve got to be thankful for the encounter with Christ through our trials, and though the pain may still last, be grateful that we may be closer to Him as a result.
The worst thing we can do is be like the other nine, who didn’t even realize that they encountered God, perhaps not realizing that He healed them. They missed the true encounter with God, and did not acknowledge Him. They denied Him.
It’s ok to question. It’s ok to be angry. It’s ok to not understand. But always trust that God is before you. Trust in His truth and that he will provide a way, that He will not let you be tried beyond what you can handle. Let Him bring you closer to Him.
2 KGS 5:14-17; PS 98; 2 TM 2:8-13; LK 17:11-19
