Matins Devotion: September 8, 2025
Very often in the Scriptures, God reveals the depth of His love for us in the simplicity of His miracles. We see this in Naaman the Syrian who initially scoffs at the simple solution Elisha gives him for his leprosy. Naaman wants something impressive, something earth-shattering. He wants the prophet to come out to see him, to wave his hand all over the place and call on his God like a proper sorcerer. But Elisha won’t even come out to see him. Instead, he just tells the mighty Syrian through a messenger to go to the waters of Israel’s rinky-dink river, one that’s far less impressive than what Naaman has at home, and wash seven times.
And in those simple waters, Naaman finds healing. No lightning, no thunder. Nothing extraordinary. It’s all quite normal, quite simple. Why? Because God destroying the effects of sin and showing mercy to His enemies is, in fact, quite normal. It’s not out of the ordinary or strange for Him. It’s not a once-in-a-lifetime thing. This profound, amazing love is who God is. It’s who He always has been, eternally and throughout every second of time.
And so, when a child is baptized, you don’t need explosions and fire or mood music and tearful testimonials. You don’t need the prophet to wave his hand all over the place. Why would you? This isn’t the fourth of July. It’s not a once a year event. God clothing children in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God destroying their sins and bringing them out of those waters as His own children? God building Jacob’s ladder, bringing heaven to earth and earth to heaven through water from a crusty faucet? That’s not rare. That happens all the time. And it happens all the time because the God who made it happen has loved you from the foundation of the world. It happens all the time because the God who created the heavens and the earth created them to love you forever. And love you He does.
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