There it is; I never knew a man yet who, when talked to about his
sins, didn't always say, "Yes, but I _thought_ so and so." "Mr.
Moody," they say, "I will tell you what _I think_; I will tell you _my
opinion_." In the fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah it says, "God's
thoughts are not our thoughts, nor His ways our ways." And so it was
with Naaman. In the first place he thought a good big doctor's fee
would do it all, and settle everything up. And besides that there was
another thing he thought; he thought going to the king with his
letters of introduction would do it. Yes, those were Naaman's first
thoughts.
_I thought_. Exactly so. He turned away in rage and disappointment. He
thought the prophet would have come out to him very humble and very
subservient, and bid him do some great things. Instead of that Elisha,
who was very likely busy writing, did not even come to the door or the
window; he merely sent out the message, "Tell him to dip seven times
in the Jordan." And away went Naaman, saying, _I thought, I thought, I
thought_. I have heard that tale so often that I am tired of it. I
will tell you just what I think about it, and what I advise you to
do--"Give it up," and take God's words, God's thoughts, God's ways. I
never yet knew a man converted just in the time and manner he expected
to be. Now there is a class of people in our country who have been
looked down upon there, just as they have been in yours; I mean the
Methodists. And I have heard people say, "Well, if ever I am
converted, it won't be in a Methodist church; you won't catch me
there." Now, I never knew a man say that but, at last, if converted at
all, it was in a Methodist church.
A man to be converted has to give up his will, his ways, and his
thoughts. And I have noticed this, that when a man says, "Well, if
ever I am converted, it will be in this way or that," God leads him in
quite a contrary direction. And so Naaman, after his anger had abated
and cooled down a little, took a second thought, which proved the
best, although his pride had been so dreadfully humbled.