Job 2:11
When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and travelled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. 12 When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.
It's one of the hardest issues - how to behave around those who are going through intense suffering.
"Job's comforters" have come to be known as friends who love to press their unwanted views and advice in the midst of trauma.
Yet we read that they started off very well when they saw the tragic state of their friend Job.
They cried and sat with him not saying anything for 7 days. That's friendship.
Saying nothing often can be the most we can do when our loved ones suffer. Just our presence and love bring the most comfort.
No one needs a sermon or Bible verse shoved down their throat when in the first stage of shock after trouble strikes.
We need a hug or a cup of tea and a shared tear.
Tiptoe carefully around those going through hard times.
I remember our Vicar living this out when my friend had lost someone on the Herald of Free Enterprise (the ferry disaster at Zebrugge).
He just hugged her and said nothing - a very wise man.
Jesus' response to John the Baptist's death was to withdraw to a solitary place. Matthew 14:13
Suffering stills our tongue and stings the soul.
At least we know Our Precious Lord Jesus has walked our path too. He enters in by the Holy Spirit with comfort too deep for words.
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