If we have a hunger and urgency for our own needs ...

Naaman listened to the words of his wife's servant girl

and went to his king, telling him the girl's story.

At that time, the king of Syria said to Naaman,

'Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.'

The letter stated, 'With this letter, I am sending my servant Naaman to you

so that you may cure him of his leprosy.'

When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said,

'Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?

Look, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.'

He misunderstood and thought that the king of Syria

was seeking an opportunity against him (2 Kings 5:4-7).

When I reflect on the fact that Naaman listened to the words of his wife's servant girl,

I believe that while Naaman surely had a desire to be healed of his leprosy,

more importantly, I think God allowed Naaman to hear even the words of the servant girl

to ultimately bring salvation to his soul.

In the end, Naaman went and, through the prophet Elisha, received healing for his leprosy.

Furthermore, I think he came to realize that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel (vv. 14-15).

If we also have a sense of urgency and longing for our own needs,

I believe that in our poverty of spirit and humility,

we will be more inclined to listen to the words of those around us.

The reason is that we may think that God may speak to us through the people around us.

When contemplating the response of the king of Israel upon receiving the letter from the king of Syria,

I think he could easily have misunderstood.

The reason for his misunderstanding might be that instead of relying solely on God,

the king of Israel thought he had to cure Naaman's leprosy, even though he was not God himself.

So, reading the letter from the king of Syria in that mindset,

he may well have misunderstood that the king of Syria was seeking an opportunity against him.

Perhaps the reason we misunderstand more than we understand is

that we rely not only on God but also on our own understanding

(Ref.: Proverbs 3:5).