Devotional Four: Job and His Friends

And when they saw [Job] 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. 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 2:12-13 

FROG: I only came out here to  Think how I’m happy  I love being a frog  In the warm sunny summer  But mostly I’m happy  Because I have you.  –A Year with Frog and Toad 

One of the most humanizing stories of friendship comes from the Old Testament story of Job, a righteous man blessed with many blessings, who lost all his possessions, children, and even his own health. Job had done nothing wrong to deserve this loss of favor, but God allowed Satan to destroy Job up to the point of death. Job lost everything except his faith in God. During his time of grief and deep sadness, Job had a group of friends who visited him to sit with him in his suffering. After sitting with Job in silence and solidarity, his friends offered their take on Job’s situation, and unfortunately, their advice was not only wrong but also frustrating to Job. 

As human beings—especially those who profess the Christian faith—we have a responsibility to live life together. The Apostle Paul speaks of this responsibility to others in Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” We are good to rejoice with our friends in times when they are rejoicing; however, we must also remember to weep with our friends when they are weeping. To their credit, Job’s friends do sit with him in his grief before deciding to offer their take on his situation. They are so taken aback by Job and his grief that they sit with him for an entire week and simply offer their presence. 

Toad, in a similar vein, sees his friend Frog sitting alone on an island in the middle of the pond, and he automatically assumes the worst for his friend. Frog must be desperately lonely, and Toad vows to bring him a picnic lunch to cheer him up. Unfortunately, the situation goes awry as often happens with Toad’s efforts, and Toad and his picnic wind up a splash. Frog calms Toad with a song that speaks to the need to be alone sometimes; however, Frog ends the song with his gratefulness for Toad and their friendship. 

At times, we can often want to fill a silence with words and noise; however, our friends who are weeping need simple presence, silence, and solidarity. Being a friend does not always mean speaking and filling the silence. Sitting in silence with a friend can be the greatest gift we can give in others’ time of need. Next time you are faced with a grieving friend, remember that, like the friends of Job and the friends Frog and Toad, a silent presence can mean the most.