Voice of a Servant is a middle-grade, coming-of-age adventure, retelling the biblical story of Naaman and the surrounding chapters of 2 Kings from three servant perspectives:
MARCUS is a young attendant to the Aramean Captain of the Guard Naaman. He dreams of following in the captain's footsteps - commanding officers, leading raids, and deciding the fate of captives. When Marcus gets caught up in shenanigans with friends at a festival, Captain Naaman punishes the prank by sending Marcus on his first scouting expedition into Northern Israel. Will being a soldier be everything Marcus has dreamed of? Or will following in the captain's footsteps require more than Marcus expected?
When Cassia's father journeys to Jerusalem for the Harvest Feast, CASSIA finds herself face-to-face with Aramean soldiers and is forced to begin her own journey of faith. Will she ever see her father again? What will happen to her in captivity? Would her father's words about Miriam hold true for her - does Yahweh really give His children creative thoughts to help them in dangerous situations? When she learns her captor has leprosy, she wonders how she should respond. Would Yahweh heal an Aramean captain And will Captain Naaman listen to the voice of a servant girl from Israel?
GEHAZI serves the prophet Elisha. He knows Elisha was granted a double portion of the ministry of Elijah, and he wonders if he might gain the glory of serving God as Israel's next great prophet. But time after time, his greedy grasping gets in the way. Will Gehazi ever get what he's after? What will happen when his desire for fame leaves him and his three sons outside the walls of Samaria during a famine and siege? Will Gehazi's eyes be opened to see God at work in ways he never imagined?
Michelle Grover invites readers to engage the historical narratives of the Bible with empathy and imagination - while still holding firmly to the truth of the Word. An experienced educator and author of Reflections for Teens Bible studies, including The Girl in the Mirror, Michelle is excited to continue encouraging students in their personal faith journeys with her debut middle-grade novel Voice of a Servant.
Historical Fiction / ages 10 and up