From God's fullness we have all received, grace upon grace
“If only”, an imaginative meditation

“If only”, an imaginative meditation

Passage

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favour with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’ So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, ‘Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.’

2 Kings 5.1-5a
(NRSV; Hebrew interlinear)

-oOo-

Imaginative meditation

Invite the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide your meditation. Spend some time focusing on being present and attentive.

You are a young girl in service in a foreign land. Take a few moments to imagine your back story. You are a stranger, newly taken captive and claimed by Naaman as a present for his wife. You have little experience of life, but you know enough to understand that it is important not to stand out.

Spend some time imagining the household, the sights and sounds, the other people, family and servants going about their daily routines. Where, how and with whom do you spend your days? How do the people and your situation make you feel? How does Naaman’s wife treat you?

You don’t see much of the lord of the household, Naaman, but you have noticed that he has leprosy. Your mother once told you stories of a great prophet that could work miracles, and you start telling yourself ‘If only’ stories that connect the two. What endings do these stories have for you?

One day it all comes out to Naaman’s wife. It’s all a blur, but it seems that she went to Naaman, who went to the king, who gave him permission, and now he has actually gone to Israel and everyone knows what you said.

So now there’s weeks of waiting in uncertainty and doubt for Naaman to return. What ‘If only’ stories do you tell yourself during this time? Do you also tell yourself ‘What if’ stories? Whisper them all to God. How does God respond?

It’s good news! Messengers have come with the tidings that Naaman is on his way home and he has been healed! How do you feel? What happens when he reaches the house? How are you treated?

You hear that he brought some earth from your homeland back with him, and he has spread it on the floor of an inner room in the house, and set up an altar there to your people’s God!

Find your way to that room, where you can be alone. Spend some time there with God, talking and listening. Or you might like to remember a good place where you met God in the past, and imagine yourself there again.

When you are ready, come slowly back to the present. Give thanks to God for what you have been given. Pray that the thread may not be broken as you continue to go through your day.

-oOo-

Try meditating on the story from different viewpoints:

  • Aram as a welcoming place – you have caring people around you, and it is diverse and cosmopolitan enough that you are able to find your niche
  • Aram as a hostile place – you have no family around you, you live in fear in the household, you speak a different language, and you are not allowed to practise your faith
  • You are Naaman’s wife, Naaman himself, or one of the servants in Naaman’s entourage
  • Elisha, Gehazi, or another of his servants
  • The king of Aram or the king of Israel