Giving a Good Word

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. Job 2:11-13 ESV

There is a scene in the movie As Good As It Gets in which the friends of a horribly assaulted and beaten man come to visit him while he is laying in his hospital bed. They cannot hide their horror as they look at his wounds. The scene is intended to be comical, and indeed it is, however, it also demonstrates how important a good word is as we sit to suffer with our own wounded friends. Job’s three friends grieved with him. That was good. But at some point, a friend must lift the spirit of the wounded. It does not appear Job’s friends knew the cue for when to worship with their wounded friend.

Lord, make my heart sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit. Father, teach me to respond to that call. Jesus, let me heal others as you are healing me.