Captive and Captivated

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." So Naaman went in and told his lord, "Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel." (2 Kings 5:1-4 ESV)

A story of captivity.  A story of a little girl in a place not her own.  
The story of how a foreign slave girl who was forced into captivity changed the world. 
Her mighty little story. 

This is all we hear about this girl.  What happened to her?  We don't know. But we do know that in her captivity, she was captivated by the God of he home land. 
Being carried captive wasn't a mistake.  It was part of God's universal plan.  His plan of love and providence to all man - not just Israel.  And this plan became more evident through a little girl.  A girl who must have been scared.  In a foreign place with people not her family or friends.  Probably forced to do some of the most unthinkable things.  
But she also did something unthinkable - something unthinkable that diffused the knowledge of the True and Great Physician. 

Although Naaman was a great man, he also had a great thorn in his flesh.  Not matter how hard he must have tried to cover his leprosy, people were judging him.  Moving away from him.  Thinking less and less of him.  Avoiding him - purposely and noticeably. 
Lepers were cast away.  They had to cry out that they were a leper to prevent people from coming too close to them, accidentally touching them.  Their identity fully became leper.  
And I am sure Naaman knew this.  That it was just a matter of time because Namaan the great would become the leper without a name or value.  

But this girl, who was not his servant but the servant of his mistress, took a huge step of faith.  She believed that her God could save and heal the most rejected and incurable.  That He worked mighty wonders through His prophet.  That He could do what has never been done.  That He would heal, love and include a non-Israelite. 

And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." (Luke 4:27)

And because the captive was captivated in the God of miracles, she boasted freely to a great man and nation about her Great Healer.  
The Great Healer. 
Who healed. And still does. 

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean." But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, "Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, "My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, "Wash, and be clean"?" So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:9-14)

Flesh of a child came because of the heart of a child.  
Faith of a small captive girl healed a great man and gave glory to God. 

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Part of One Girl's link up called Chasing History about looking at stories of women in the Bible and connecting with them.  Seeing how they relate to us today.  So here is the first story I looked at.  Check out Chasing History for more!

You can read my last one called Daughter about the woman who was healed after 12 years if you missed it!