Dirty Water
By Grant Gaines
The ultimate nightmare of any hiker is to run across an agitated skunk. And while skunks aren’t as dangerous as bears, deadly as snakes, or terrifying as wolves, the sight of a skunk with its tail lifted in the air is enough to make even the most seasoned outdoorsmen to run for their lives.
Because of course if you don’t run, your nostrils will be assaulted with the vilest of smells, your clothes will be ruined, and your skin will be stained with that putrid stench. And in order to get the smell out of your hair and skin it is going to take a whole lot more than just water. Some people say you need to bathe in tomato juice, others say you need to buy a premade, industrial strength sent remover, and yet another group will say a homemade concoction of baking soda, peroxide, and dish soap will do the trick.
Whatever route you choose to get clean with, one fact remains a constant—you must get dirtier before you can get cleaner. Whether it’s tomato juice or some powerful stain remover, you’re going to make a mess before you can be fully cleaned.
That saying doesn’t just apply to removing skunk stench off of your body, I believe it is a pretty good motto of how most miracles come about—you must get dirtier before you can get cleaner. To explain, let’s look at a story from 2 Kings 5.
In 2 Kings 5 we are introduced to a highly decorated general named Naaman who was, “…a great man in the sight of his [king] and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram…” (2 Kings 5:1, NIV). But just like any comic book superhero had a weakness, Naaman had one as well—leprosy (2 Kings 5:1b).
Leprosy wasn’t simply an inconvenience like having a few pimples on your face, it was a painful disease that spread like wildfire across your body as it ate away at your flesh. And the rotting flesh caused a stench that radiated out to others causing you to be cut off from society and viewed as outcasts. Bottom line, Naaman was in a bad spot and in desperate need for a miracle.
So Naaman did what any logical human being would do at those times, he went to the prophet Elisha and begged for a miracle. However, when Naaman arrived at Elisha’s house, a magic wave of a wand was not the treatment Naaman received but rather the command to go wash seven times in the filthy Jordan River (2 Kings 5:10).
“But Naaman became angry and stalked away. ‘I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!’ he said. ‘I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me! Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?’ So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.” (2 Kings 5:11-12, NLT)
I like Naaman’s story because I believe that many of us find ourselves in his shoes. We all need a miracle and have been praying for a blessing for some time now. And like Naaman, we also often live with the expectation that God will simply wave a magic wand over our heads and give us our heart’s greatest desire. But instead of being cleansed right away, Naaman, like a skunk victim, was instructed to get dirty before he could get clean.
I believe God still works the same way today—He often has us go through some “dirty water” before we can receive our request. Maybe the dirty water that you need to jump into is to excel at a less desirable job before the Provider will hand you your dream job. Maybe you need to shore up your relationships with your spouse and family before God grants you the blessing and responsibility of raising children. Or maybe you need to become faithful at being generous before the Giver will bless you with that much needed raise. Whatever your request is, you can be assured that the path to receiving that blessing may take you through some dirty water.
It took Naaman a while to realize this fact but as soon as he did, “…Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed” (2 Kings 5:14, NLT).
Your miracle may be one dirty body of water away, are you willing to jump in?
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
