Encountering God: Paying the Price of Usefulness

She had all the reason in the world to hate him, but she loved him, and here is how it started - - forgiveness.   I doubt we can truly understand the brand of forgiveness and love and grace this little slave girl gathered and extended to such a man.  We have spoken of his evil already in earlier posts – he was a monster who wronged her and her family and her people  – yet she forgave him!  She loved him!  She sought his healing and comfort and well-being!  “Oh – if only my master….“ she said pleadingly.  She loved her enemy.  She desired that Naaman would be made well

When we are hurt we are confronted with some options in how we might respond.  One way that we might respond is to make those who have hurt us pay by hurting them until we have extracted the payment due for the harm they have caused us.  Another way we might respond is to forgive and to love.

Again – if we are carefully observant, we see how this girl is like our Jesus – she reminds us that forgiveness is costly – she willingly paid the price of forgiveness.   But look at what the cost she paid made of her, it turned her in to a vessel most useful to purposes of God.  This servant of the LORD paid the cost of usefulness, she died to her anger and desires for vengeance – and God used her!  There is no way we may be useful to the purposes of God until we have died to all our wishes, prerogatives and rights. She deserved to see vengeance exacted upon the man – bust she gave that up – she paid the price, and thus - she was useful!  This little slave girl was used powerfully in the cause of the Gospel in Naaman’s life.  This little slave girl willingly shared in the suffering of her own savior as she forgave Naaman just as Jesus forgives sinners.

Oh how beautiful this little slave girl was!  And how powerfully useful to the purposes of her God!  And does this little suffering servant not point us to the ultimate Suffering Servant who accomplished the grand purposes of God to encounter and redeem a sin-sick, diseased people, healing and restoring and blessing people who deserve no such graciousness?