​On the Frontline you’ve got, not the one you wish you had

      Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
    Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 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 5:1–3)

Almost invisible in this great story of Elisha healing Naaman of his leprosy is the young Israelite girl whose simple sentence makes the miracle healing possible. She’s unnamed, and far from home because raiding parties from Aram were pillaging Israel of its food, it’s wealth, and of some of Israel’s people, including this young girl. Naaman has given her to his wife as a maid or a slave girl. What are the prospects for human flourishing for the girl? Not good. Only whatever Naaman’s wife decides her future to be. But the girl’s life is not wasted, and it’s not tragic. She simply speaks what she knows, the there is a good God in Israel, and his servant, the prophet Elisha is being used powerfully by the God of Israel. She’s got faith in Elisha’s God, and says so. 

We all have a Frontline where we have some possibility for interaction with those who don’t know and love God. You and I don’t need to be Elisha, just a small person who speaks what she knows in a timely fashion. And God can do amazing things!