God Who Changed the Hearts of Naaman, His Wife, and the Maid

People Who Do Not Believe in God

Captain Naaman led the army of Syria and invaded Israel. As he fought in the war, he believed in himself and boasted out loud. “Where is God? If He does exist, tell Him to come forward!” He was confident and victorious in the war. Naaman was not a man who believed in God.

There was a little girl who was captured in Israel and then lived in the house of Naaman. She was disappointed and sad as she thought, “If God is alive, then why did our country lose? Why did I have to become a captive?” There is no person who will revere God at first. Captain Naaman looked down on God and lived by believing in himself; the maid knew God but did not have faith. She thought that God was not helping her as she faced hardship.

For the Will of God to Be Fulfilled

However, Captain Naaman had leprosy. When everything goes well, a person will believe in his or her self; but if one comes across difficult circumstances then they cannot believe in themselves. Captain Naaman who had leprosy thought to himself,

“Why is my disease getting worse? I cannot hold my sword well because my hands are getting stiff. Soon I won’t be able to even continue as the commander. I will end up in a dark room and live a miserable life as a leper!”

The heart of believing in himself began to crumble down as Naaman thought about how miserable his life would become due to the leprosy. While Captain Naaman was in suffering, the maid thought differently. “Ah, the captain has leprosy. Right, God sent me here to preach the Words to the captain. I should speak to the mistress.”

By then, the heart of Naaman’s wife was also changing. “Now my husband’s disease has gotten so bad that I cannot come close to him. He will not be able to make it. This is how he will end his life. . . !”

Therefore, the change in hearts of Captain Naaman, the wife, and the maid was to such an extent that the will of God could be fulfilled.

When the Hearts of the Three People Changed

The maid told the wife of Captain Naaman, “It will be good if my master goes to see the prophet in Samaria. The prophet will heal his leprosy.” When Naaman’s wife heard these words, she accepted them as they were and relayed them to Naaman; he also accepted those words. Before, he mocked God and did not believe in Him; now we can see him going to Samaria to receive the grace of God.

In order for Captain Naaman to meet the prophet, the hearts of the maid, Captain Naaman, and his wife had to be one. If when the maid tells Naaman’s wife and she replies with, “Stop talking nonsense!” then it will end there. Also, no matter how much the wife tells Naaman the news, if Naaman ignores her words and says, “I tried so hard to heal my disease. I even prayed to our god, Dagon, but still it did not work. . . .” then, it will not work out. Therefore, God worked to make the heart of the maid one with His; also, He changed the hearts of Captain Naaman and his wife so that they could accept the maid’s words. Thus, a wondrous thing happened. The house of Captain Naaman, which was filled with darkness, changed into a house filled with joy and happiness.

“How Was This Possible?”

In our mission, the gospel is preached in nearly 100 countries and so many people are receiving salvation. Even now, we are running towards the countries that have not yet heard the gospel. When I first started the work of the gospel, I truly did not know that God would work so greatly as He is doing now. I thought that I would be despised and persecuted as I preached the gospel to a few people and just live a thankful life until I left this world.

But, God is unfolding something that I could never have imagined. During the World Camp, Ministers, University Chancellors, and Christian leaders from all over the world heard the gospel and received salvation. They have also expressed the desire to work with us. When I went to Kenya a while ago, 1,000 religious leaders heard the gospel and were so joyful as they changed. God is continuing to do these dream-like works. I often ask myself, “How was this work possible? How was it possible?”

Don’t Be Disappointed Looking Only at One Side

Captain Naaman, who became arrogant after winning the war, the little girl who was caught captive and became a slave . . . even though it seemed that God was doing nothing in the house of Naaman, He was actually waiting for the hearts of Naaman, his wife, and the maid to change so that they could become one. Even now, God is changing the hearts of people one by one in order to fulfill His will.

When we look at things through our perspective, it might seem as if God is not working in our lives; however, when you look closer, God is still alive in our hearts and working. Therefore, one day, He makes things happen among us that we could not have imagined. Do not be disappointed after looking only at one side; I hope that you will look up to God, believe in God, and serve God.