Page 7 - Week of Emphasis Devotional

Daily text: 2 Kings 5: 1-10

Naaman, was a proud, well-decorated commander of King Aram’s Syrian army. As a
victorious leader of the king’s army, he was afforded every advantage and luxury. Yet, there
was one thing even the king could not grant. Naaman was afflicted with leprosy, and its cure
was outside the knowledge of the mighty Syrian empire.

Yet, there was one within his household who had the answer to Naaman’s malady. A captive
Israelite, she pointed him to the One who can heal. Through Elisha, the Lord’s prophet,
Naaman was told to “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to
you, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10, NKJV)

Interestingly, Naaman’s cure was faith combined with water. Around the world today,
many infections that lead to sickness, diarrhea, and ultimately malnutrition stem from poor
sanitation, reduced access to quality drinking water, and low awareness of hygiene practices.

ADRA Canada works to repair damaged water sources and provide new ones in conflict-
affected areas like the Blue Nile region in Sudan. It is hard to miss the smiles on the faces of
women, girls, men, and boys as they experience the gift of a clean water source close at hand.

Questions for reflection/discussion:

1. What if Naaman did not wash himself in the water, would he have experienced a
miracle? What is our part to play when we experience a lack, issue, or personal crisis?
In the Middle East, water was considered a precious commodity and dubbed as “the gift
of God.” How much do you value water? Is it a human right?

2. Today, many regions of the world lack clean and accessible water. This crisis causes
preventable deaths and immeasurable losses of human potential. How can we help? Are
there ways we can assist and support ADRA’s humanitarian efforts to bring clean, safe
water to communities around the world?

3. Water is very symbolic, particulary in a spiritual sense. How can we stay connected to
the Water of Life and give this “living water” to others in our community? In our world?

Quote: “Prayer is the the golden river at whose brink many die of thirst, while others kneel and
drink.” -Croft M. Pentz

Appeal: Will you thank God for the physical water you have access to and help give this “gift
of God” to people who desperately need it?

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Water of Life. Thank You for giving us free
and unlimited access to to the Living Water that satisfies the deep and parched longing of our
souls. May we drink of this water and never thirst again. Help us to point others to the source
of this Water, so they too may drink and quench the thirst of their souls. Come and fill our cup
Lord, today and forever. Please show us daily how we can share the overflow with those near
and far who are in need of physical and spiritual water. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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