Have you ever had trouble trusting God? I have. God seems to do things quite differently than I would. Most of the time, He’s not interested in my interpretation of the situation as He can see the “big picture”, and I can only see what my mind and experience can produce. 

My faith walk has often been a journey of second guessing and then deciding to obey. Trusting God, to tell you the truth sometimes seems totally unreasonable. However, I can honestly say I have never regretted the times I did put my faith and trust in His wisdom. 

I find myself not alone as many of the Bible characters had this same conflict. One of my favorite stories is about Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Syria. He was an honorable, valiant man but the scripture tells us he was a leper in need of healing.  

Leprosy according to Wikipedia is, “primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions are the primary external sign. Left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs, and eyes. Contrary to folklore, leprosy does not cause body parts to fall off, although they can become numb or diseased as a result of secondary infections; these occur as a result of the body’s defenses being compromised by the primary disease. Secondary infections, in turn, can result in tissue loss causing fingers and toes to become shortened and deformed, as cartilage is absorbed into the body.” That sounds gruesome doesn’t it? Naaman needed a healing that medical science could not provide. He needed a healing that could only come through the miracle working power of God.   

In 2 Kings 5:1-19, Naaman was sent to Elisha, a mighty prophet of God in Israel to be supernaturally healed. Instead of Elisha coming to the door to greet Naaman, he sent a messenger to him saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan River seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you shall be clean.”

Naaman was furious with the message and turned away in a rage. His pride was bruised because he expected Elisha to greet him, lay hands on him and miraculously heal the leprosy. He wanted special treatment for his faith. He had decided how God should heal a man as important as himself. He was not about to wash in the dirty Jordan River! Naaman was about to lose his blessing when he was entreated by his servants to obey the prophet. Naaman repented. The scripture says his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child. God is so good!

As a minister it would be easy to prepare a sermon using the acrostic: Naaman’s Problem, Naaman’s Pride, Naaman’s Plea and Naaman’s Provision. The story could easily be told from that perspective, but I have come to appreciate Pastor Andy Stanley’s one line summary of this powerful story — “To understand why, submit and apply”.  

What a great “take away” from this emotion packed story. Trust is about submitting and applying before you understand. Trust is about laying your pride aside, listening to wise counsel and receiving God’s provision His way.  

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NKJ) gives us the message succinctly, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” 

Trust is developed by submitting to God’s word and applying its wisdom. You may not understand why you need to be compliant, but the results will bring about the answers you desire. God never ask us to obey beyond our potential. He walks us through every step that produces trust. He is good and he is always on our side!