Are you familiar with the story of Naaman? He's one of the many characters we meet in the Old Testament of the Bible, and one of several we meet in the Bible who has leprosy. He obviously wants to be healed, so when he hears that there's a prophet who heals people he reaches out to the king where the prophet lives and asks for help. Word gets to the prophet, Elisha, and by way of a messenger Elisha tells Naaman: "Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy." (2 Kings 5:10). Of course Naaman gets bent out of shape over the fact that Elisha didn't speak to him personally, heal him directly, and told him to do something so simple and stupid, and considers just going on with life. But a wise member of Naaman's community basically asked "If you did what he told you to do, what's the worst that could happen?"
I'm all for details, layers, complexity, and depth, they have a role to play in our world. It's those very things that make a meal taste so great, computers work, and ecosystems thrive. But not everything has to be that complicated and complex. There's something very satisfying about a beer on the deck at the end of a hot summer day, a hot beverage and a good book, a walk through a nature park, playing with a dog or child, coloring or crafting, or even just lighting a candle. There's nothing complicated or complex about any of those things, yet because they're so simple we think we shouldn't spend much time on them because as "adults" we should be doing "adult" things, not things that are so basic and simple.
But as Naaman's story illustrates, God works through all of it, through every situation and in ways that are both simple and complex. One of the verses I received in my inbox the other day had to do with the story of Moses parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14). Talk about complex! Not only did God part the waters and keep the fish on the sides until the Israelites got through, but it obviously had to be dry enough for the people to walk through and not get stuck in what was years of muck that tend to be on the bottom of every body of water, and then be wet enough that the chariots from Egypt that followed shortly after did get stuck. So yes, God can absolutely do complex things, but sometimes God just asks for a little faith, a little trust, and a little effort from us. Is God asking you to do something so simple it seems stupid like He did Naaman? Put a little faith into it and don't sulk your way through the oh-so-simple directions, but go into it believing in the blessings, healing and hope that can be found in trusting God.
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