“‘Go and visit the prophet,’ the king of Aram told him. ‘I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing. The letter to the king of Israel said: ‘With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.’”
2 Kings 5:5-6 NLT
In today’s market, the value of gold and silver the king of Aram offered to pay for Naaman’s healing would be over $3,000,000! No wonder the king of Israel was upset—Am I God? Can I heal leprosy? Of course, he could not—only God heals. But the problem was, Naaman’s healing was not for sale.
Without realizing it, perhaps we too have tried to buy God’s miracles. We think if we give more money to the church or spend more time serving in the community, then surely God will notice our good deeds and answer our prayers. But isn’t offering our works to God the same as putting coins in a vending machine? Because we put money in, we expect something good to pop out!
Our God is not like that. He created us for the greatest miracle of all—relationship. From that amazing connection with Him, all other miracles flow! And who paid for that relationship? Certainly not us—Jesus paid the price with His life. Anything I try to pay after that is a sham. Besides, if I think God’s miracles are for sale, then I do not understand His heart:
GOD wants to be close to me—in relationship HE will take care of all my needs…
Not through my payment but through HIS!
