Some days there are no words.
Only heavy sighs.
There is nothing that can be said that will ease the sorrow that is in front of us.
Maybe you have seen this kind of pain.
Maybe you have experienced this kind of pain.
Loss of a job, the end of a marriage, a life changing diagnosis, the death of a loved one...
And even if you find something to say, it is not your words that will be remembered .
It will be your presence.
God tells us in Ecclesiastes that two are better than one
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls,
the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two
people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?“
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
But it is more than just showing up.
It is about being fully present
Not the quick glance of your life given by the 300 “friends” that you might have on FB.
I am talking about the people who move from behind their screens and actually show up.
The ones who sit in the hard places with each other...like Job’s three friends.
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.
They traveled from different places to be with Job when they learned he was suffering.
And they needed no words.
Job’s Three Friends Share His Anguish
11 When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and
traveled 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.”
Job 2: 11-13 NLT
So often we think we need to have the right words to say, believing that these words might ease
the pain.
But Job’s friends did not utter a word.
They laid on the ground with him for seven days and nights.
They were present.
Profoundly present.
They sat with Job, deep in his pain.
They did not move away, they moved toward him.
They stayed with him in the hard places.
I need friends like that.
I need to be a friend like that.
Some people say that the Bible is dated, antiquated, not relevant today.
But friends, look around.
We all know someone like Job.
Maybe we have been like Job.
In a world where personal contact is lost behind phone screens and laptops, I fear that we are
losing the ability to be profoundly present with each other.
A lesson in friendship comes from this timeless book ...His Word.
One day there is no more pain or suffering.
“ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed
away. There was no more sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out
of heaven from God. It was made ready like a bride is made ready for her husband. I heard a
loud voice coming from heaven. It said, “See! God’s home is with men. He will live with them.
They will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will be their God. God will take away
all their tears. There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All the old things have
passed away.” Then the One sitting on the throne said, “See! I am making all things new.
“Revelation 21: 1-6
Until that day comes ...we need to be there for each other.
Be present for someone today.
Be profoundly present.