[Guided Prayer + Meditation] Sitting With Your Friend in Her Pain

Hey, my friend. I want to welcome you to this special bonus episode where I share a guided prayer and meditation about sitting with our friends in their grief and heartache. I invite you to find a quiet place where you can truly engage with the prayer, truly ready to engage with God, or to come back to it when you find yourself at a loss of words when your friend is truly struggling.

I let this episode end with quiet music, and I invite you to sit there with God until you’re ready to end this prayer time with Him. And know that I’m praying for you, my friend.

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I don’t know about you, but when my friends are going through a hard time… I find that I don’t know what to say to them… I don’t know how to encourage them… I don’t know what to do for them.

And so today, we’re going to practice simply sitting with them in the midst of their pain… in the midst of their grief… and being fully present… without the need to say anything at all.

You know, Job’s friends got this part right, I think. The Bible says, “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” (Job 2:11-13).

Let’s spend a few moments together and see if we, too, can sit with our friends in the midst of their unspeakable grief.

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I want you to name in your mind a friend who is going through a difficult time. Perhaps if you have a picture of them, you can set it before you.

Maybe they are struggling with cancer. Or loneliness. Or depression.

Maybe they suffered a miscarriage. Or their child is sick. Really, really sick.

Maybe they are facing criticism. Or divorce. Or a job loss.

Now think about a place you meet with your friend. It could be your home, or theirs. It could be at a coffee shop, or a park, or a church pew.

Imagine sitting with your friend there. In your special place.

And just sit there. And be with them.

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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. Our words fall short.

God, would You teach us how to sit with our friend in the tension? In the fear? In the unknown?

We don’t know what questions they are asking. Or what outcomes they might face. If this situation will lead to more loss, more pain.

We don’t have the answers for them. And that’s hard for us. We want to fix it, we want to make it all be okay. But we can’t.

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.

And God, in these moments, we have to rely on You to do the praying for us. The Bible says the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. And God, that is exactly the type of prayer we need right now as we sit in such unspeakable sorrow.

We simply bring our friend to you, and we sit with them in You presence. And God, we ask You to help.