Naaman, the powerful general from Aram, was suddenly powerless. Beneath his glamorous and impenetrable armor, a disease was slowly killing him. He had contracted leprosy (2 Kings 5:1), and now his political might and military abilities couldn’t help him. He would soon lose all worldly power and possessions, including even his life. He was helpless and hopeless.

Then a Hebrew slave girl came into the picture. Not much is said about her. In all probability, her home had been destroyed and her parents killed by the Aramean raiders. She had been forcibly taken to a foreign land as a slave (v.2). We don’t even know her name. But without her, Naaman would have been history.

Sure, she could have been bitter and angry with God: How can I continue to believe in a God who is powerless to protect me and everyone I loved? She could have hated the Arameans too. She should have been happy that Naaman was diseased and dying.

But instead, she said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy” (v.3). She pointed them to the God of Israel and His prophet Elisha. She still had deep faith in the God of Israel, even though no one had ever been healed of leprosy in those days (Luke 4:27).

Instead of keeping quiet and letting Naaman die, she actually wished for Naaman to get well. Instead of a spirit of bitterness or a desire for revenge, she exhibited a heart full of love and forgiveness for her enemy.

It’s natural to hate those who have harmed us. It would be considered normal not to forgive them or want them to get well. But our Lord calls us to do the unnatural and the supernatural: To pray for, love, and do good to our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44; Luke 6:27-28).