Scripture:

“So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

 

Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

 

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.” Job 2:7-13 (ESV)

 

Perspective:

Job, a wealthy and prosperous man, lost everything including his family, money, and health. He was at the very bottom of his misery when his wife challenged his position. Job had not blamed God for any of the trouble that had come upon him, but his wife couldn’t understand why. So, Job sat in his pain, and three friends came to be with him. His friends sat with him while his sores were oozing.  Job would have been considered unclean because of his illness. After the initial seven days, his friends had lots of theories of why God was treating Job in this way. But, those first seven days should be recognized. There were no words that could bring comfort to Job in his suffering, so they just sat with him. They waited for Job to start the conversation.

 

In life, we walk through difficulty ourselves or have the opportunity to walk with others through trials.  Our culture is one that wants answers now. We want to fix problems before they even exist. Yet, there is something beautiful about coming alongside someone in difficulty and seeing them through it. How often people dealing with a health crisis, divorce, death in the family, or any other challenge tend to isolate themselves because of the lack of understanding displayed by those around them. We don’t have to understand to sit with people in their weakest moments. Job’s friends went on to offer theories about Job that God later rebuked. But, I wonder if those seven days of silence were actually very beneficial in that Job knew he wasn’t alone. Who in your life needs someone to walk beside them? You don’t have to have the answers to give the gift of your presence, because that may be all that they need.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

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