2 Kings 5:13, 14  Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. (NIV)

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We often make things harder than they have to be. This is especially true when it comes to matters of faith. We want to complicate things. Instead of simple prayer, it’s like “Help!” We work up a five-minute long soliloquy with all the Thees and Thous and Thine and Arts of our childhood upbringing.  

Sometimes simple prayers are the best prayers. We’re not trying to impress God or twist his arm. Instead, we’re just giving him our hearts and telling him what is really going on in the depths of our being. 

Naaman was told to “Wash and be cleansed.” That’s not what he was expecting. Verses 11 and 12 tell us the story. Namaan expected Elisha to go out to him, stand next to him, call on the name of the LORD, wave his hand over the spot, and cure him right then and there. Every good healer puts on a show, you know. 

Elisha was not healing Naaman for fun and profit. This becomes clear in the rest of the chapter. In fact, Elisha knew he wasn’t doing any of the healing. God alone was doing the healing. Elisha simply did what God said. It’s amazing how powerful obedience to God’s commands really is. 

Naaman didn’t want a simple faith. He wanted ritual. He wanted pomp and circumstance. He wanted noise and action. God simply wanted to change his life. And he did. 

The condition of Naaman’s skin was not the only change. Yes, it says his skin became like a little boy’s, but, more importantly, his heart was changed. He chose then and there to never worship another god. He would only worship our Father in heaven. 

Naaman learned the lesson of simple faith. I wonder if you and I have really taken that to heart as well as we should. 

Simple prayers and simple obedience create outsized change. They transform us. They draw us away from religious rituals into a deepening and abiding relationship with our God. 

Here are some simple prayers to pray when you don’t know what else to say:

* Jesus, make my heart like yours. 
* Give me a pure heart and clean hands. 
* Give me a willing and obedient heart to do what you say. 
* Align and attune my desires to your purpose for my life. 
* Fill me with wisdom and kindness. 
* I belong to you. 

Do you remember that story in John’s Gospel, chapter two, when Jesus, his disciples, his brothers, and his mother were at a wedding? Mary went to Jesus and told him what the situation was. He said his time had not yet come. She wasn’t listening. She turned to the people with the empty wine containers and said, “Do whatever he tells you.” 

Naaman would agree. 

There’s an old song that we sing, or used to sing, in church on a regular basis. It’s called Trust and Obey. If somehow you don’t know it, look it up. You could even do an internet search for it. There’s probably a good version on your favorite music app you could listen to. Humming it across the course of the day will calm your heart. 

Trust and obey. 

Simply pray. 

That’s how to have a better than average day. 

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I will trust and obey and simply pray. 

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Our Father, thank you for simple instructions that we can easily understand and put into practice. Cultivate in us a predisposition toward trusting you in all things and doing whatever you say. Teach us how to pray simple prayers that may not be impressive to those around us, but that truly connect with your purpose for our lives. Amen.