Experiencing God Series

Experiencing God

2 Kings 5:1; 8-17

Henry Blackaby said that experiencing God is seeing where God is at work and joining Him in that work. Too often we miss experiencing the glory and presence of God b/c we are not looking for God. In the church we are worried about our order of worship, or making sure we do things proper. In the world, they miss God b/c they don’t even know what to look for.

Naaman was a man who was looking to be changed. He had leprosy. Even as commander of the armies of Syria, he was still excluded from life b/c of his leprosy. Nothing could be done for him. There was one and only one hope- God.

Read 2 Kings 5:1; 8-17

To experience God there are a couple of things that have to happen in our lives. We must realize that:

I. God’s Ways are not Man’s ways

Naaman was a man of power and prestige. He expected to be treated as such. He arrived at the house of Elisha and wanted to see the prophet come out and pay respect and make a big show for him to heal him of the leprosy. Elisha provided no entertainment for Naaman. Naaman was greeted by a messenger with instructions of what he was to do.

God’s prophet instructed Naaman to go to the Jordan and wash 7 times. Naaman became furious. To say that he thought all of this is ridiculous is an understatement. A person of his position deserved respect and not to be greeted by a messenger. The thought of something so simple to bring about healing was equally as insulting.

God’s ways are different than man’s ways. Men expect fanfare and entertainment. God simply shows Himself and works in His own way and in His own time. Sometimes the ways of God seem foolish to men. Men do not understand heavenly things.

God’s foolishness is wiser than man’s wisdom. God never works in the way that we expect Him too. He is greater and wiser than we ever imagined. We cannot fit God into a box. That is what the world and the church often desire. God is expected to work in the way that we want Him to in the boundaries of what we desire. God doesn’t and we walk away defeated and disappointed that God didn’t show up.

We need to look for God! How is He working? What is God doing with His people?

God does not need pomp and circumstance for His presence to appear. All God needs is a willing heart, a humble heart. Naaman nearly missed out on the blessing b/c he refused to see through himself to the work of God.

Are we ready to experience God? We know He promises that we will find Him when we seek w/all our heart. We know that God wants to do great things through His people. The problem is that we want God to work in our ways and not His. God has exactly the right thing for you. To experience God we have to stop doing things our way and begin doing things God’s way. Listen, obey, and watch for God to work. God will work and is working, but we need to look for those things and take God out of the box. The time is now- open our eyes and hearts to experience God at work.

Come to God with Great expectations and then let God work! God wants to do mighty works among His people, God desires to heal His people, He wants great things to happen. All we have to do is recognize that God is working in His way, in His time, to accomplish His purpose.

II. God’s Ways Require Obedience

Naaman had been given the strangest instructions; “go to the Jordan and wash 7 times and you will be clean.” For Naaman to be cleansed, he had to go to a river he despised and wash 7 times not once. He could have gone down and sat in the Jordan, and washed once and gone about his business, but God did not call him to do that.

God’s ways require obedience. If Naaman wanted healing, he would have to follow God’s instructions. There was nothing special about the water- it did not have the power to cure his disease. There was nothing special about the number of times he was to dip- seven times in water was not going to bring about his cleansing. Naaman’s cleansing was a result of God’s power and Naaman’s obedience. Had Naaman only washed once or only six times, he would not have experienced God’s healing.

God’s ways require obedience. Naaman would have missed God if he had not walked in obedience.

How often do we miss the things of God b/c we don’t walk in obedience? God has blessings for us, but they require us to listen and follow His ways.