The story of Elisha and Naaman.
The animator is the person in the middle – God’s go-between. Here is an example of some of the people God has used in the past as go-betweens.
Read 2 Kings 5:1–14. We hear of three ‘servants in the middle’ in this story.
First there is the little maid who served Naaman’s wife (verse 3). Her compassion and faith were the first steps to Naaman’s final healing.
Next there is Elisha’s servant who was sent out as a messenger (verse 10). ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the river Jordan’. For full healing to take place, he had to pass on this message faithfully and accurately.
Thirdly there are Naaman’s servants in verse 13. They were brave enough to approach Naaman in his anger. Their care and reasonable attitude led to Naaman’s final healing.
All these examples teach us that to be the man or woman in the middle is never easy. It involves hard work and courage and can often lead to being misunderstood. In addition to sound technical knowledge and training skills, it requires determination, love, compassion and tact. Above all, it is God’s special calling and needs the power of his Holy Spirit.
The model of a Christian animator is Jesus himself, for he stood in the middle:
- between God and man
- between Light and Darkness
- between Life and Death.
Pray for those in your community who act as go-betweens – animators, community health workers, teachers, pastors, etc. Discuss how you can support them better and show more understanding of their difficult role.
by Ian Wallace