Turning defeat to victory Week 24, 2016

She was forcibly taken from her home. Raiding Syrians had entered her country, overpowered whatever defences they had to put up. Now she was booty for the General; a captive slave given to his wife as her mistress. In one of their raids against Israel, the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became a servant of Naaman's wife 2Kgs 5:2(GNB).  She could have said God had failed her, could have asked, “why me”. There are those in her circumstance who would become bitter and give up on their faith. Not this damsel (and not you either). She said to her mistress, "Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 2Kgs 5:3(ESV). Did this happen because she had seen anyone cured of leprosy? Certainly not. There were also many lepers in Israel in the prophet Elisha's time, yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian Lk 4:27(ESV).The record of cure from leprosy dates back to the wilderness journey when Moses prayed for Miriam who God had struck with leprosy for despising Moses’ authority. Rather than dropping her faith she expressed uncommon faith in the God who many would have argued had failed them; therefore defeat was turned to victory.

When faced with such disaster would many not look at themselves and their pain? We don’t know if she ever struggled with negative emotions; we do see her blazing faith in God despite her setback, a faith which makes her great. She was looking out not in, offering herself as a vessel of help to a need she was aware of in the enemy. She saw her captor as a captive, the one who kidnapped her as a victim of kidnap, only worse than hers. She sought how to bless him who treated her so cruelly. Hers was no prayer for judgement and vengeance, but for mercy to the enemy. God says Bless those who persecute you. Keep on blessing them, and never curse them. Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people Rom 12:14, 17(ISV). Did we say she was captured and became booty? I’d rather say she was planted there by God. She was more than conquerors. So must we be!

We too can turn defeat into victory as we follow her example. They who hurt us are victims first of sin, captives of a more wicked creature: Satan. Let’s see marauding herdsmen, kidnappers, murderers, militants and rapists for what they really are: victims and captives of a deep disease. And we hold the key to their cleansing! Speak up like her about the Prophet Jesus Christ who cleanses from sin. Yes more than a prophet – the risen Lord of all. Son of the Most High God. Kidnapped? See how to set your captor free. Wounded? Seek healing to the one who first inflicted the injury. As God used the damsel to reach Naaman so too Jesus longs to reach your captors and all who ill-treat you by your witness. To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good Rom 12:20, 21(ESV).