She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." – 2 Kings 5:3

Today's Scripture Reading (January 21, 2023): 2 Kings 5

William Cowper, probably best known in the Christian Church for his hymns, lived a troubled life. A well-educated man, he suffered from frequent bouts of depression. In 1763, the thirty-two-year-old Cowper was offered a Clerkship of Journals in the House of Lords. But Cowper was unable to withstand the pressure of the upcoming examinations. This crisis began a time of severe depression and insanity. Three times he tried to commit suicide, failing on each attempt. Eventually, he was sent to an asylum to recover from his illness.

And then, in 1773, Cowper again found himself in the grasp of insanity. He had visions of himself condemned to hell and was convinced that God was commanding him to kill himself as a sacrifice for his faith. And once again, Cowper attempted suicide, this time by drowning. But once again, the poet failed in his attempt. It was coming out of this bout of depression and insanity that Cowper would write one of his most famous hymns, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way."

God moves in a mysterious way,
    His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
    And rides upon the storm.  

Maybe the poet realized God had worked even through his depression and insanity. And if he could work through that, he could work through anything.

Raiders from the nation of Aram journeyed into Israel taking captives who would serve as slaves to the rich and powerful of Aram. Slavery is an old custom, and one way to get slaves was to go out into enemy territory and just take them. And that is what happened to a young girl living in Northern Israel. And this young girl was given the task of serving the wife of Naaman, the commander of the army.

It would have been a hard life for the girl. She would mourn the loss of her parents just as her parents would mourn the loss of their daughter, a lament that would last for the rest of their lives. But the girl still decided to make her life count for something. They could take her body away from home, but they couldn't take her faith away from her body. So, she points her master toward someone the girl knows could heal him of his leprosy. The young slave was willing to put her faith in action, even though she was a captive in a foreign land.

Like Joseph, son of Jacob, the girl would probably exclaim, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:19-20). None of this likely made sense to either the slave girl or her master. And yet, this slave girl probably knew from her life back in Northern Israel; God really does move in mysterious ways

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 6