The Lens of God

Recently I went to our optometrist for an eye exam and he remarked that for my age my eyes are pretty good, but he said very matter of factly that I should brace myself for the inevitable toll which age takes on our vision.  I wear glasses for driving, as distances aren’t as sharp but have had that problem since I was old enough to drive.  But when I put on that first pair of glasses I was amazed at how much clearer things looked ! The fuzziness was gone, things were much more sharp !  So it is in the spiritual realm.

There was a young girl in the Old Testament of whom we do not even know her name. She was a servant, captured in battle by the Syrians as they had just defeated Israel in a skirmish.  In the providence of God she found herself now a servant to Naaman’s wife.  Naaman was “captain of the host of the king of Syria” (2Kgs.5:1).   Though she was part of the plunder of war she was faithful to the Lord !    Now in the home of this pagan general, who was also a leper (viewed as unclean by Israelites) she found herself in a trying situation. It would’ve been easy to complain to the Lord but she ministered instead and she did because her spiritual eyesight was well. She viewed the situations that came into her life through the lens of God and His Word !!

When her earthly master was in need of healing this young maiden pointed him to God. She said to Naaman’s wife, “Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria ! For he would recover him of his leprosy.” (vs.3). This simple statement shows a great amount of faith and love on her part.    Most of us might ask for a little cheese with our whine when things get difficult, what made her different? What will make us different? What will move us past just seeing the problems to actually reaching out to help others and have the kind of faith still that we should?  We must be viewing things always through the lens of the Lord !

You know when you get an eye exam and the doc flips those options in front of your eyes asking which one is better? Well you have all kinds of influences coming at you every day and the difference in being like this “little maid” (vs2) and most people is the choice you will make regarding what has happened to you.   A very helpful adage I came across a few years ago goes like this:  “Be careful what you choose to muse (think) when you lose !”     For Paul it was verses like Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. . .” for you God may use some other scripture.  But for this dear young lady, she had faith in the Lord and she opted to retain it even when her life circumstances were not all rosy.

Well as the story goes, Naaman was healed, Elisha was used of God, and the Lord was glorified greatly. Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel. . .” (vs.15) & “for thy servant [Naaman] will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord.” (vs.17).   All because someone who had adversity, just like we do at times, chose to look at things through the lens of God and His precious Word.   Keep looking that way and things will turn out just fine !!