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 2:13 (NLT)]
When his life turned from riches to rags and all he loved and possessed (along with his health) was taken from him, Job’s friends came and silently sat with him on the ground for seven days. While this seems odd to us, it was perfectly normal in Job’s day. Seven days was the traditional mourning period and tradition held that those visiting a mourner weren’t to speak until the mourner spoke first. As it turned out, his friends’ compassionate silence was the kindest thing they did for Job. Things rapidly went downhill as soon as the three men opened their mouths!
Reflecting a sort of retribution theology—that good things happen to good people and bad things to bad people—Job’s friends were sure that his troubles were divine retribution for his sins. Ignoring their knowledge of Job, a man Scripture described as “the finest man on earth…blameless…a man of integrity” who “fears God and stays away from evil,” they wanted him to repent of his unnamed sins so that God would stop punishing him. While Job’s friends were quick to accuse him of being an unrepentant sinner, there is no mention of them praying for or with him. In fact, in the end, it is Job who prays for them.
If Job were a friend of mine, his name would be on my prayer list; he’d fit right in with the rest of the names on it. There are people with depression, addictions, cancer, MS, Parkinson’s, heart disease, and dementia. There are caregivers, sick babies, parents of troubled children and children with troubled parents. Some are mourning the loss of loved ones while others are in recovery, hospice, or dire financial straits. There are people who have no faith and others who are struggling to keep their faith. Unlike Job’s friends, however, I don’t blame them for their troubles but, like Job’s friends, I do want their lives to improve. I want every one of them to be happy, healed, and whole. I want their issues resolved, their problems solved, their health restored, and their goals achieved.
Unfortunately, it is not my will that will be done—if it were, there would be “happily ever after” endings to all their stories. In the end, it is God’s plan that will prevail, not mine. Just as I don’t know the cause of my friends’ problems, I don’t know the solutions to their difficulties. Nevertheless, I do know the One who has the solutions to their trials and the answers to their questions. As believers, rather than trying to figure out what God should do, we must trust Him in the suffering, tragedies, and uncertainties of this life. God alone is the source of all wisdom. As we offer our intercessions, let us take comfort in Paul’s words that the Holy Spirit knows for what we should pray. While we may be at a loss for the right words, the Holy Spirit never is.
Heavenly Father, give us compassionate and understanding hearts for our hurting friends. Let us know when supportive silence is better than anything we could ever say to them. Help us focus our prayers on your will rather than our desires. Reassure those for whom we pray of your loving-kindness and strengthen their weary spirits. May they have peace in their circumstances, discover joy in their troubles, hear your voice clearly, follow your directions willingly, and be filled with hope for the future.
Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what he can do. [Andrew Murray]
After Israel accepted the Lord’s Covenant, Moses returned to the base of Mt. Sinai with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. It was then that every one of those men gazed upon the God of Israel from afar and ate a covenant meal in His presence. Before Moses departed to climb up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, he entrusted the Israelites to Aaron and the elders who then went back to their camp. Moses, accompanied by his servant/apprentice Joshua, climbed a short way up the mountain and a cloud covered it. The two men made camp and stayed there for the next six days. On the seventh day, God called to Moses from within the cloud and the Israelites’ leader disappeared into the mist.
Some of the lesser-known heroes of the Bible are found in the lists of David’s mightiest men. Among his warriors, David’s mighty Three had the most authority, influence, and leadership. Their leader was Jashobeam, a man who once used his spear to kill 800 warriors in a single battle. Next in rank was Eleazar who remained with David in battle when the rest of the troops fled. He killed Philistines until he no longer could lift his sword. The third of the Three was Shammah. After being attacked in a field by the Philistines, the troops fled. Shammah alone remained to defend it and bring victory to Israel. These three were so devoted to David that, when he expressed a desire for fresh water from Bethlehem, they risked their lives to break through enemy lines to get some for him. David’s Three were among the best of the best when it came to valor, courage, and allegiance.
Thousands of years ago, God told Noah to build a boat the height of a four-story house, the length of one-and-a-half football fields, and with the storage capacity of about 450 semi-trailers. Without benefit of Home Depot or power tools, he managed to do it. What would happen if God gave Noah those same instructions today?
After feeding a multitude with little more than a handful of food, Jesus sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida. He stayed behind to send the people home and then, exhausted, went into the mountains to pray. During the fourth watch (somewhere between 3:00 and 6:00 AM), Jesus looked out at the water and saw that the disciples were struggling against the wind and waves to keep the boat on course. Seeing their distress, he walked on the water toward them. Seeing Him walking on water, they thought Him a ghost and cried out in terror. Phantoms of the night were said to bring disaster and it was thought that the last thing a boatman saw before drowning in Galilee was a ghost on the water! It’s no wonder they were frightened at first.
During that dark time about which I recently wrote, I was in intense pain and it seemed like God had turned His back on me. When I confided to a friend that God seemed deaf to my pleas, she asked the simple question, “Have you turned it over to the Lord?” I assured her I had but, as the day wore on, I wondered if that were true.
Devotions of the Heart 