Healing in Humility (The Unnamed Girl)

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1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, "Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy." 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me." 8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel." 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, "Wash, and be clean'?" 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:1-14 NRSV)

Happy Wednesday Friend! May God's blessing be upon you in marvelous ways; and may people marvel at the ways you will share those withj them.

The star of this story is, of course, God; and right behind him is an unnamed little girl of faith. I learned that on a Wednesday night in a midweek worship/Bible study led on that night by a distant relative of my bride, it was the late Mrs. Clotilde Nañez, wife of The Rev. Dr. Alfredo Nañez, a long-time leader of the Rio Grande Conference, both of whom retired to Edinburg. She did a study on this passage and shared how this little girl, who leads to the healing of a commander of a foreign army, named Naaman. Naaman was all that and a bag of chips being in high favor with the king of Aram whose leadership gave many victories blessed the kingdom of Aram. His outward success could not protect him from inner need. Now this little girl was a prisoner of war, a captive of this commander, taken against her will from her native Israel. It was she who told Naaman's wife that if her husband would travel to Samaria there the prophet would cure him of his disease. The commander goes to see the king just what the little girl shared with him and the king agrees that he should indeed travel to Israel, adding that he would send a letter to the king of Israel, and quite the treasure of money and garments for the king and prophet. Now, keep in mind that this is an enemy of Israel so any letter or visit by Naaman would be very suspicious. And the Israeli king's response gives that away. The king misreads it and freaks out about what this could mean for his country because he says he is not God and healing is not in his job description.

The prophet hears of this, he sends a message to the king asking that the commander come to his house to "Learn there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman makes the trip to Elisha's home, complete with all the chariots and horses and is greeted by a messenger of the prophet with instructions: "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean."

What’s striking in this story is how God begins to work through the unexpected: a captive servant girl who speaks of a prophet in Israel, a reluctant king, and a message that comes not through ceremony, but through simple instruction. Elisha, the prophet, doesn’t even come out to greet Naaman. Instead, he sends a messenger to say, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan” .

Naaman is insulted. He expected something dramatic—some act worthy of his stature. But healing would not come through spectacle. It would come through obedience and humility. When Naaman finally surrenders his pride and dips in the Jordan, “his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy”.

This story reminds us that God often works through what seems simple or even beneath us. Sometimes, healing and transformation begin when we’re willing to humble ourselves, lay down our expectations, and trust God’s ways over our own. His power is not limited by our understanding—it is released in our obedience.

PRAYER: Merciful God, thank You for seeing past our pride and reaching us with Your healing grace. Help us to trust You even when Your ways are not what we expect. Teach us humility, and give us a heart that listens, obeys, and responds in faith. Wash us anew in Your mercy, and make us whole. This we pray in Jesus' strong name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Take time today to release any pride or resistance in your heart. Trust God’s instructions—even the simple ones—and let humility open the door to healing.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

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Bear With One Another

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Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/3ZVQ3Zp

View devo: https://bit.ly/447AoZo

1 My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4 All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride. 5 For all must carry their own loads. 6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. 7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. 11 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14 May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16 As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:1-16 NRSV)

Loving God of mercy and peace, bestow on us Your grace that we might become those who bless others. Forgive us our sins and embolden us for Thy service; in Jesus we pray, amen. This has been quite the year for transgressions of a pastoral nature. It seemed that every other week a pastor in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex was found guilty of something or other and they stepped down. To be fair this has been going on since day one, but it's still something that we should address. Paul is addressing it in the first verses of this passage. His recommendation is to help the transgressors be restored with a spirit of gentleness. That one sentence screams Jesus' presence and power because far too many of us usually scream, "Crucify him/her!" Those of us who have been shaped by the world will have worldly responses; the ones shaped by Christ will have Christian responses. And logically, Paul follows it with the wise warning, "Take care that you yourselves are not tempted." Amen. Jesus said that it's easy for us to point out the speck in our brother's eye but ignore the plank in ours. This is the same thing.

Paul’s words in Galatians 6 remind us that life in the Spirit is not a solitary journey. “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (v. 2). In a world where independence is praised, Scripture calls us into mutual care—a community marked not by competition, but by compassion.

Paul warns against self-deception and pride. We’re each called to examine our own lives honestly (v. 4), to carry our own responsibilities (v. 5), but also to help lift others when they fall. Restoration, not judgment, should guide our response when someone is caught in wrongdoing (v. 1), always with gentleness.

The principle of sowing and reaping runs through the heart of this passage: “You reap whatever you sow” (v. 7). To sow to the Spirit means investing in what leads to life—acts of kindness, generosity, love, and truth. Paul encourages us not to grow weary in doing good, “for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up” (v. 9). Faithfulness today plants seeds for a fruitful tomorrow.

The letter ends with a strong affirmation: it’s not outward marks or appearances that define us, but the “new creation” (v. 15). In Christ, we are made new—and from that place of grace, we are called to live with humility, integrity, and love.

PRAYER: God of grace and truth, thank You for the new life You’ve given me in Christ. Help me to sow to the Spirit in all I do, to bear the burdens of others with compassion, and to live with integrity. Keep me from growing weary in doing good, and remind me that the harvest You promise is worth every faithful step. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, look for someone whose burden you can help carry—and sow seeds of kindness that reflect the love of the new creation within you.

I love you and I thank God for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.