Child of God
by Celene Melenciano
Good morning boys and girls, happy Sabbath. I hope you’re excited to hear today’s story.
Today’s story, I am very excited to share it with you because maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s about a very special little girl. This little girl was a servant. She was a slave to the wife of a great commander. The commander’s name was Naaman. This is a story that you’re gonna find in the Bible in II Kings chapter 5.
Now this little girl, we don’t know her name because her name was never said, never written down in the Bible. But this was a little girl taken as a slave by Naaman, the commander of the Aram army, and she was given to Naaman’s wife to help her out at the house or do whatever she needed.
Now Naaman was sick. He had leprosy. So leprosy is a disease, it’s a sickness that kind of eats away at your skin. And it actually it’s pretty bad because it’s very contagious. Back in the day, it was very contagious. So they would have to tell those people with leprosy to go out somewhere far away where they couldn’t, you know, give it to somebody else because it was not something that they could. um, they, that they had medicine for. So it was actually a very bad disease. So Naaman had leprosy and this little girl was so courageous and so brave that she went to Naaman’s wife and she told her, you know, um, Neyman would probably get better if he was to go see the prophet, you know, our God can cleanse him, can take that disease away from him. So of course, Naaman’s wife went to Naamanand she told him, hey, my little girl told me that this, you know, that her God can help you. So see what you could do.
So Nehman went to the king and told the king, hey, there’s a place, a person that could heal me. Let me go try. So the king sent him out and he took. money with him, which back then was, I think, gold coins. And he took nice clothes, like 10 changes of very nice clothes. Back in the day, people didn’t have that what we have now. So it was something very special. It was a great gift. So he took off with his servants and they went to the king of Israel and told the king, hey, I was told that you can cure me. And the king thought that Naaman was not necessarily joking, but that he was trying to pick a fight with him. you know, and because he didn’t know what the little girl told him. But then Naaman explained, and finally word got to Elijah, the prophet, that Naaman was trying, was looking for the person, for the God that can cure him. And Elisha said, send him my way.
So Naaman went to Elisah and Elisha just told him, Hey, just go into the Jordan river, you know, those big rivers. He said, and Get in there seven times. Dip yourself in the water seven times. And then Naaman thought, what are you telling me? He’s like, I thought you were just gonna say something and like, bitty bitty, ba da ba da boom boom, whatever. And I’m cleansed. He’s like, why am I gonna go dip myself in such a river? I believe the Jordan River was very dirty, kind of ugly back in the day. He says, there’s better rivers for me to go to. But you’re asking me to go to this Jordan River. Who do you think I am? And Naaman got kind of upset about it, right? And he left. But when he was leaving, one of his helpers, one of the people that were going with him told him, Master, if Elijah asked you to do something difficult, you would do it just to be clean, you know, to get this illness off of you. Why don’t you just go in the river? just go in there seven times. So Naaman said, you’re right, you’re right. I would probably do something like that.
So he did, he went to the river and he got in seven times. And as he came out on the seventh, after the seventh time, he was completely clean. His skin was nice and beautiful and young looking. The Bible says his skin was like the skin of a young boy. So he was cleansed. He, what Elisha asked him to do all of course in the name of God actually worked for Naaman. So Naaman went back to Elijah and told him, you know, as long as I live, there will be no other God that I praise but yours.
Okay, and all this happened. Naaman was cleansed. He met God through Elijah, through the miracle that he made through him because of one little girl. And this little girl was so faithful in what she believed in God she was brave enough to share her faith with Naaman’s wife, who then told Naaman about it. And she was also just a little girl, like we said, just a little girl. We don’t know how old, the Bible just says she was a little girl, a little slave that was taken from the Israelites when they lost a war of some sort.
So I want you guys to remember that it doesn’t matter how small you are. You know, you might be super short, you might be one, two, three, but sometimes the things that you do, the things that you say show how much you love God and that God lives in you. And for us older people, adults, you know, parents, we need to also remember that you guys are children of God. All you little ones are children of God and God loves you. And just as he can use us to do something good. He very much uses you to do something good as well.
Let’s pray boys and girls. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this beautiful day that you’ve given us for the opportunity to be here learning about you, about your love, your miracles, and the things that our little kids can do, even though they’re young little children. We pray that you bless them, Lord, that you guide them throughout the week and the rest of their lives and that they always be shining stars for you, like the little girl that helped in Aram. We pray these things in your name, Amen.
Bye, boys and girls. Have a wonderful day, have a wonderful week. And just remember, it doesn’t matter how old you are. It doesn’t matter how big or small you might be. You’re a shining light for God.
Have a wonderful day.