Silence may be all that is needed

Job 2:11-13

In vs 13 we see Job’s friends came to him and sat with him for 7 days and 7 evenings and they did not talk. As we read at the beginning of Chap. 3, Job was the first to speak.

My wife has fought cancer for since the 80’s and has spent many days in the hospitals and at home and in bed. Monday, she has another surgery coming up to remove a tumor in her spinal column.

As I think back over the years, the most precious times for her, were when her friends and family came, not to talk or try and engage her in some activity, but just to sit with her. She knew they were there and when she was ready, she would talk with them. They didn’t try force her to talk or engage with them, but just loved her. Their presence was enough.

When we have friends and relatives that are pain, whether it’s physical or emotional, sometimes we want to talk and do something with them, but sometimes, all they need is to have someone there. Sometimes silence and compassion is enough.

Prayer and support were what my wife needed over the many months and the years. Job’s friends could have just given him a hug in a powerful gesture of God’s love and remained silent. But they didn’t and we can see the result of that as we read through the book of Job.

Spend time with those in need, pray for them, love them, but remember, you don’t need to talk. Just your presence shows your love, your care and concern for them. You are showing God’s love through you, being there, just as God is always with us, always loving us and watching over us.

Douglas A Kossel, PhD, DH, MHC
Baptist International Leadership Development Ministry