Monday, March 7, 2011

Be One, Have One

Job 2: 11-13 "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. 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. 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."

I love, love, love this picture of friendship. I think this is the one of the best if not the best picture of friendship in the Bible. Job's friends had heard of the terrible tragedies that had struck., and what did they do? Well, they went to him! We should do the same thing. If we have a friend that is going through a hard time, then we need to SHOW UP! This is a key ingredient in the friendship recipe. Be there for them!! I mean, you wouldn't want to go through a hard time by yourself, would you?!?!? And it should be easy for us to show up today. A face to face meeting is the best, but if you can't do that then call or email or text or Facebook or Tweet your friend! There's no reason we can't be there with today's technology!

Once Job's friend's showed up, they mourned with him. In Ecclesiastes 3 it says "There is a time for everything....a time to weep and a time to laugh...a time to mourn and a time to dance." We see Job's friends supporting him by mourning with him. It was certainly time for that. When we have friends that are sad, it should make us sad too. And when we have friends that are celebrating, we should celebrate too.

I really love what it says in the last verse. I think I can relate to this verse the best. Sometimes, we just don't know what to say when someone is going through a tragedy. But you know what, we should follow Job's friend's actions and say nothing. Simply show up and say nothing. A lot can be said without us speaking. We can put our arms around our brother or sister that is suffering and just be there for them. We don't have to have all the right words.

If you continue reading in Job you will see that in Chapter 3 he says he wishes he was never born. You can see how upset he is, and rightly so. He had just suffered so much loss. But then in Chapter 4 when one of his friends finally said something, He pointed Job back to God. He reminded Job that God was faithful and would see him through this. We too should point our friends back to God in their times of trouble. We all need reminders from time to time that God loves us and has great plans for us!

I want to have good friends. But in order to have a good friend, I've got to be a good friend. I can't expect others to be there for me if I'm not there for them. Job 4 indicates that Job had "encouraged many people". I imagine that is why he had so many good friends.

What about you? Do you show up when your friends are in need? Do you mourn when necessary and celebrate with them when necessary? Are a friend to others like what you want others to be to you?

Lord, help me to be a better friend to those you have put in my life. Help me to encourage my friends, both in times of trouble and in times of celebration. Help me always to point my friends to You. You are the answer to all our problems and the reason we should all celebrate. ~ Amen

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