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So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
2 Kings 5:14
Reflect
My favorite Old Testament prophet is Elisha, largely because he was the guy who always seemed to perform miracles that were “real.” Elijah called down the power of God from heaven, while Elisha retrieved people’s tools, cured poisonous water and helped a woman out of poverty.
One of the greatest stories about Elisha involved a soldier named Naaman, who was a commander in the Syrian army. Naaman was a Syrian hero, and he must have been amazing at his job, because he also suffered from a terrible disease. Whatever the exact nature of his leprosy, it was serious, visible and incurable by human means. The fact that he was still so admired speaks to his excellence and his courage.
A servant girl in his household knew about Elisha and the miracles the Lord performed through him, and she told Naaman that Elisha might be able to heal him. The king of Syria valued Naaman so much that he was willing to write to the king of Israel to ask for permission for Naaman to enter the country and seek out the prophet.
Eventually, Elisha learned of Naaman’s situation and sent for him, and the warrior and his entourage found their way to the prophet. And Elisha did have a cure for Naaman. He told him to go and wash himself in the Jordan River seven times.
This seemed insulting to Naaman, who figured that if washing would do the trick, he could have done that in a river back home. His servants, however, saw the wisdom in the command and essentially told their boss, “What can it hurt?” The command was so simple that they told Naaman he should just follow Elisha’s word and do what he said.
All the Bible tells us is that, “…he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”
Sometimes what the Lord directs us to do might not make sense to our limited understanding. In Naaman’s case, he thought the washing would be responsible for making him clean. What he didn’t grasp was that the Lord was asking him to be obedient and trust the word he had been given.
As a soldier, that should have been no problem, but it took Naaman’s servants to remind him about the importance of obedience. There are times when we might lack the faith to do what God asks of us, but what we lack in faith sometimes can be made up for with obedience. Sometimes our first obedient step is the opening through which the Lord chooses to work.
Today, if the Lord is asking you to do something challenging, humbling or difficult, pray for the faith to trust Him and the obedience to take the first step. You may not understand why the Jordan River matters. You may not see how one simple act of obedience could change anything. But Naaman’s story reminds us that the power was never in the water. The power was in the God who met him on the other side of obedience.
If you’re looking for a memorable picture of that kind of faith, take a look at this scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It’s one of the best pop-culture images of a “leap of faith” that I’ve ever seen:
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
