Sitting with Friends

Job 2:11-13 (NLT): “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…. 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.”
“God, would You join us in this place of tenderness and pain? We know that their suffering is too deep for words. And truth be told, we wouldn’t know what to say anyway.”
“God, would You show us how to be fully present with them in their heartache and brokenness? We see that their heart is troubled and restless, that they are being tormented by suffering (Job 30:27). We find it uncomfortable, sometimes, to be in the presence of such pain. Don’t let our minds wonder. Don’t let our bodies move. But help us to sit with them, to be with them, so they know they are not alone.”