Have you ever had high expectations concerning a situation in your life?
For example, you’ve been searching for a new job. You have tons of experience with high-profile employers and figure that not only will you get hired, but you’re sure to be offered a substantial salary. Because you’re so good, you will most likely get promoted within a year or two.
Or when you met the person of your dreams and had a dream wedding, you figured you would start a family and have two kids within a three-year time span so there are minimal interruptions to your career goals. You and your spouse were in good shape and kids seemed like a logical next step.
Maybe you always knew you would buy your dream house by the time you were 35 years old. You would stay at that great paying job, save up your cash for a down payment, and get everything on your wish list including the exact neighborhood and the remodeled kitchen and bathroom.
All of this sounds completely reasonable, right? Many of us have made similar goals and plans to help us achieve what we considered to be realistic, achievable goals. We’ve even seen others experience the exact thing we’re expecting to happen for us.
But somehow the unemployment has lasted over a year, the marriage is falling apart, and the housing market prices have increased astronomically, making the dream home simply a dream. Nothing is going as you expected. Now, you’re working two part-time jobs to make ends meet, spending money on marital counseling instead of prenatal care, and buying a home that is the exact opposite of what you had in mind.
You’re frustrated, annoyed, and upset. All you can think about is, “this is not what I thought would happen.”
Naaman from 2 Kings chapter 5 echoed those sentiments. As the captain of King Aram’s army, he was highly respected by the king and known as a valiant warrior with many military victories under his belt. However, he suffered from leprosy, an infectious skin disease that made him unclean.
A young servant girl in Naaman’s household mentioned that he could be cured by visiting a prophet in Samaria. Therefore, Naaman took her advice to the king who granted him permission to go to the king of Israel to be healed. Naaman gathered his men and chariots along with lavish gifts and wealth to present to the king in honor of his visit.
Once he arrived, he was instructed to go to the house of the prophet Elisha. He took his horses and his chariots to stand at the doorway of Elisha’s home expecting the great man of God to greet him and do whatever he needed to do to send Naaman off free of his disease.
Elisha simply sent a messenger to him with a word on how to get rid of his leprosy. Naaman was instructed to wash in the Jordan river seven times so his flesh could be restored, and he would be considered clean.
Instead of following the instructions, Naaman became furious because the situation did not play out as he had imagined. Elisha did not do what Naaman thought a prophet should do, especially for someone of his stature. After all, he was well-respected by the king and a captain of the army. “I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper,” he said. He went on to complain about how dirty and gross the Jordan river is and if he was going to have to wash in a river, he would at least prefer the rivers of Damascus.
In his anger, pride and entitlement, Naaman was ready to turn back home and throw the whole trip away. His servants reasoned with him by saying, “had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?”
Naaman’s response may seem extreme, but do we not do the same thing when things don’t go as we expected? Unmet expectations can lead to frustration and rage just as Naaman felt. With your careful planning, how could you be at this place in your life? If God loved you, wouldn’t He show you by blessing your lavish plans?
Instead of looking at what has not happened in your life or how things have not turned out as you thought, look unto God. See what He is asking of you and check your ego. To truly see God move in our lives, we have to be willing to humble ourselves and release the entitlement along with our carefully scheduled plans. We then have to surrender to God’s will and His timing and allow our lives to be directed and molded by the Ultimate Planner. He has an impeccable record but the path He takes us on often looks very different than what we prefer.
Naaman’s servants helped him see the simplicity of Elisha’s instructions and all he had to do was obey them. He just had to wash and be clean. It’s not a coincidence that Naaman received wisdom from those who had dedicated their lives to serving. The servants were able to see the simplicity in the instructions because they were not coming from a place of entitlement. Naaman had to get on their level. He needed to humble himself and let go of what he thought his healing should look like based on his position or influence; let go of the way he was accustomed to being treated; let go of his selfishness and pride.
Like Naaman, we must let go of our personally curated plans and realize that we don’t know what’s best for our lives. In humbling ourselves, we can allow God Almighty to do what He does in His own way.
Eventually, Naaman did obey, and the disease not only went away but his flesh was restored to the flesh of a little child. He returned home clean.
God can restore your situation as well. Working the two jobs may give you the discipline to finally start your own business and be your own boss. Marital counseling may be a way for you two to break generational curses over your future offspring and sustain the challenges that come with being married with kids. The new home you end up buying may triple in value within two years, giving you enough equity to make a greater deposit on your dream home so it is more affordable than you knew possible.
Don’t be so tightly bound to your expectations that you miss the restorative power of Jesus Christ. Humble yourself before the Lord and release your sense of entitlement. Actively listen to the words God speaks through others then let Him do what He does best – be God.
