Naaman was of the mind that if it’s worth having, then we have to work hard to get it. He resisted the ease with which Elisha was offering him for healing: to plunge seven times in the Jordan. Naaman was not buying it. The River Jordan was discolored, sluggish, and muddy. The rivers in his own land were far clearer and cool, gushing forth from mountain streams. If the task was to be an easy one, surely, it would have been much more convenient to have washed in the Pharpar and Abana rivers of his own land and been healed of his disease.
Sometimes, though, the hard thing to do is what appears to be the easiest. Perhaps the hard part for Naaman – the commander of the army who had direct access to the king – was to listen to a young slave girl who told him about the prophet in Israel or to listen to his servants who convinced him to do what the prophet had recommended. Sometimes it is hard for us to listen to those who are younger or who seem to be less important than we are. Because Naaman was willing to swallow his pride and accept the humility that beckoned him to the River Jordan, he was healed of his leprosy.
Like Naaman, we, too, believe we have to do something difficult in order to satisfy God before God will grant us forgiveness and healing for the leprosy of sin in our lives. Such is not the case. The truth of the gospel is that we are invited to do one simple act: to turn our hearts to the Lord and open them to God’s merciful healing. But it takes humility; perhaps that is the hardest part of the task for us – to swallow our pride and acknowledge our need for God’s love and mercy. God does not ask of us any great demonstrations or even eloquent prayers. The Lord simply asks that we acknowledge our need for mercy and compassion and turn to Him.