Back To Home Page To Archives - Spring of Life - H. Roger Bothwell Don’t Mess With God It is strange how we remember certain events from our childhood and yet forget huge chunks of time. One of the things I vividly recall is sitting in church listening to my pastor tell the story of Naaman. Now it seems that Naaman, the Syrian, had leprosy and came to God’s prophet, Elisha, asking for healing. After some objection he followed Elisha’s instructions and went to the Jordan where he dipped himself seven times. Fifty years later I can still see the story teller describing each dip as Naaman obeyed and then came the joy of the miracle. It is such a grand story of God’s power. Naaman of course wanted to reward Elisha with great treasure. But Elisha refused. It would be good if the story ended there. But Gahazi, Elisha’s servant, could not forget all that treasure so he chased after Naaman and upon catching up with him said, “All is well, ...” At that point everything was well indeed. Unfortunately for Gahazi the wellness soon disappeared because he contracted leprosy because he thought he could deceive Elisha. The power of the story was not lost on my young mind. Don’t mess with God! Sometime this weekend treat yourself to this great story. It is found in II Kings 5. If you have an opportunity read it to a small child and make it a part of their life. I still enjoy it after all these years. If I listen carefully I can still hear Gahazi saying, “All is well.” I'm Roger Bothwell and my address is hrb1@tiac.net or 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453. Thank you for your support of our faith ministry. Past devotionals can be accessed at Archives