The Unlikely Catalyst of a Miracle

She had every reason in the world to remain silent. She had been a victim of child trafficking when a group of Aramean raiders invaded Israel. The Arameans ripped her apart from her family and sold her into slavery to a man named Naaman, the commander of the armies of the King of Aram.

No one would blame her if she held a grudge. When 2 Kings 5 tells us that her owner had leprosy (verse 2), she would certainly be justified to feel vindicated that one of her oppressors was getting his just reward.

Let’s stop for a moment and reverse-engineer the conclusion of this story. Naaman will experience healing by obeying the command of the prophet Elisha to dip seven times in the Jordan River. It is an extraordinary story.

But here’s the catch. None of this would have happened if a young girl in captivity had not said, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:3)

She could have withheld information. She could have sought vengeance. She could have played the victim. She could have remained silent and watched Naaman suffer for years from a debilitating disease. But she forgave and even became the catalyst for Naaman’s miracle. Her heart of grace and faith led to a miracle that we still talk about thousands of years later.

Each of us can have the same heart and the same faith. You just never know…. One day, someone might read about a miracle that you helped create.

Duke Stone
After 40 years in full-time ministry, I try to see how the little things in life speak big things about God. This blog is an attempt to share with you the many ways I see the love of God in the ordinary things of life.