Some people like to take Bubble Baths... I prefer to take a Bible Bath. One of the simple joys in life is relaxing in the tub while taking in some of God's word.
My latest lesson from the lavatory... I love it when God shows me something in my reading that I have never seen before. This time it came from the book of Job. I have read the book of Job before... it is one of the staple hard knock life stories from the Bible. You can't help but read this book and be thankful for where your life is. This time however, God decided to show me a different side of the book of Job... it started with 3 little verses.
When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Job 2:11-13
This is nothing short of a lesson in true friendship. I think this speaks to the kind of man Job truly was. He had three extremely close friends, so close that when they heard the trouble that Job was in they all agreed that they must go to him. Their only plan was to go sympathize with him and comfort him. I believe this means they just wanted to go love on him. Think for a moment of your close friends, who would you drop everything to go to? Who would do the same for you?
From a distance they saw Job... and could hardly recognize him. Instead of turning around and going back home they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. At first I thought "Why would they have done that?" I relate it to me when I'm having a bad day (and Job was having a doosey of a bad day). I can imagine if it were me I would be sitting at home, face red from crying, makeup streaked down my face, hair not fixed, probably not showered, in my comfy fat clothes. How well would I receive my friends knocking on my door if they were all made up and looking their best?! HA! I don't think I would even answer the door!! I think his friends wanted him to be comforted by them, not irritated by them.
What they did next is pretty amazing... "they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was." v. 13. Imagine that... they just sat with him, probably cried with him... but didn't say a word to him. They really just wanted to be there with him. They knew he just needed friends, not advice, not a lecture and certainly no one telling him what is wrong in their lives. They knew his suffering was great.
I wonder if I am that kind of a friend? Would I be able to sit for seven days and not offer my two cents? Probably not...
God, help me be the kind of friend to people you want me to be. Even if it means keeping my mouth shut!
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