Comfort in times of trouble

BY DAWN REED

My heart hurt over the man’s troubles. One thing after another was going wrong in his life. Loss after loss had laid him low. And he didn’t understand.

He had been faithful to God. Why was he suffering so?

I had known of the man’s heartaches and loss. Reading it again stirred my mind, making my heart heavy on his behalf.

Job had lost nearly everything. Five hundred yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys were taken by the Sabeans. Servants were put to the sword. Fire fell from heaven and burned up 7,000 sheep and his servants. The Chaldeans swept down on Job’s camels and made off with them. They put more of his servants to the sword. Then, Job’s seven sons and three daughters were killed when the roof collapsed in the house where they were eating. It was a lot.

Most have heard this agonizing story told in the book of Job. It’s so much easier to read than to live! Things turned from bad to worse. Job had suffered great personal and financial loss. Then he suffered physical affliction with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. He took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

In Job 2:9-10, we read that his wife encouraged him to curse God and die. He would not. “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” he asked her.

In his trouble, Job cried out to God, “If I have sinned, what have I done to You, You who see everything we do? Why have you made me Your target? Have I become a burden to You?” (Job 7:20)

He doesn’t know that the story ends well, that he survives and is blessed. He doesn’t know that 4,000 years later, people will still be encouraged by his story.

It’s common for those going through rough times to be visited by others in the community. So, it was with Job. When Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar heard about Job’s troubles, they set out to go and comfort him. I hesitate to call them Job’s “friends” because I’m still on the fence.

When the three saw Job from a distance, they barely recognized him. They wept, tore their clothes, and sprinkled dust on their heads. They sat on the ground with Job for seven days and nights. No one spoke a word to Job because they saw how great his suffering was.

Originally, they had come to comfort Job. But their words turned to sharp judgment, encouraging him to renounce his sin. Each one took a turn reprimanding Job for his hidden iniquity. Job’s “friends” analyzed his situation and judged him incorrectly. Add that to his difficulties. Job replied, “You are miserable comforters, all of you!” (Job 16:2).

Silence can be golden. When someone we care about is hurting, we often want to speak words of comfort. We want to soothe the ache and explain the reason for their difficulty. From time to time, when searching for the right words, we can make unnecessary statements that inflict even more harm.

We live in a fallen world full of sickness, loss, and brokenness. Life can be so very hard. As followers of Christ, we can be used as instruments of peace and comfort. Being there, just saying, “I’m so sorry,” goes a long way. Holding a hand. Sharing a hug. Making a casserole or cake. We don’t always have to have the answers or reasons for suffering. We can just BE THERE. SILENTLY. We can learn from Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar that words are not always necessary.

Yes, there is surely a time to speak the truth about sin. God can show us when that is. He can also tell us when NOT to speak.

First Corinthians 13:4 reminds us: “Love is patient, love is kind.”

Sometimes “Love is quiet.”

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