When will things go back to normal?

These days, we’re trying to keep our distance from people. And it feels a lot like how I imagine people treated lepers in the Bible. These people were shunned and made outcasts because of their medical condition.

Diseases and illnesses break down bodies, but they also break down our spirits. Maybe one month into the coronavirus quarantine, you’re already desperate for the day when we can all safely leave our homes again.

If so, you can probably relate to the story of Naaman in the Old Testament. Naaman begged for his leprosy to be taken away from him. He begged for healing. But he didn’t receive it as quickly and as efficiently as he had hoped.

And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. – 2 Kings 5: 10-14 (ESV)

Much like Naaman and his leprosy, we want the coronavirus to disappear. And we want it to happen in our time, on our schedules. We want the social distancing to be over.

I imagine that Naaman was angry that Elisha didn’t come down to speak to him himself. He was being treated like a diseased man. But God was working through Elisha to heal Naaman, even if Naaman didn’t realize it.

God will always meet our most basic needs, even if it doesn’t look like we imagined. And most likely, that’s because it will look like a miracle instead.

Just like God used Elisha’s unconventional directions to heal a diseased Naaman, perhaps He’s calling YOU to help someone in desperate need of healing and protection during this pandemic.

When you give to the coronavirus emergency fund, you will be giving critical aid to families in the world’s most vulnerable places.

Clean water and hygiene kits are the most valuable assets in the world right now. And it’s two things that people living in poverty can’t get.

Impoverished families may only have contaminated water to wash with. And they certainly don’t have access to hygiene essentials like disinfecting wipes, soap, and hand sanitizer. These items are so vital during a pandemic, especially in countries that are ill-equipped to handle a major outbreak.

Today YOU can help supply people in need with aid like food, clean water, hygiene kits, and other essentials they need to survive. And thanks to a generous matching gift from our World Help board members, your gift DOUBLES. Every $8 you give is enough to provide lifesaving help for two people.

In addition to helping people around the world, your gift will also deliver food to out-of-work families here in the U.S. and hygiene kits to America’s seniors and most high-risk citizens.

The coronavirus has left many people fearful and anxious of what’s going to happen next. But in this time of waiting, you can make a difference in a world that’s hurting.

Don’t be impatient like Naaman. Instead, listen to the instructions that God is putting on your heart. Cleanse yourself of worry and help someone else in need.

Jesus is our Great Physician. And He’s calling us to care for others, too.

DOUBLE your impact