Friends: Encourage Each Other

The book of Job is a deep dive into the problem of suffering.  It's one of the wisdom books of the Old Testament.  Wisdom books like Proverbs often teach that God blesses righteous people and judges wicked ones.  But Job challenges that assumption.  In Job, a righteous man suffers, and struggles with what God has allowed to happen to him.

After Job has lost everything and been afflicted with terrible sores all over his body, three friends go to be with him.  When they see him from far off, they don't recognize him.  As they draw near, they begin to weep.  They tear their clothes and fling dust in the air, which were ancient demonstrations of grief.  

Overwhelmed, they sit with Job seven days in silence!

Here, Job's friends show how we can be with each other in difficult times.  They went to him, they empathized with him, and they stayed with him.  Though they didn't say anything, their presence indicated their love and care for Job.

Sadly, things fell apart when Job began to speak in chapter 3.  His friends begin to argue with him about his suffering.  At this point, they teach us by negative example!  When our friends are suffering, it's most important to be with them, listen to them, and pray with them, even when they say things that make us uncomfortable.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, the apostle Paul admonished Christ followers to encourage and build each other up.  Each of us could probably identify people who have encouraged us at difficult times of our lives.  We can be thankful for them.  But we also need to be encouragers to others!