RTW January 23

What To Do When Someone is Suffering

“Your own mouth condemns you, not I. Your own lips testify against you.”
Job 15:6

 

 

My Takeaways

Something Old

There must have been a special bond of friendship between these men that could withstand truth and honesty.

When Someone is Suffering (What Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad didn’t do.)

  • Listen to hear, rather than to respond.
  • Show compassion, rather than trying to be right.
  • Pray for intervention, rather than devising a human plan.
  • Leave room for waiting, rather than looking for instant relief.

Something New

Today, I’m reminded anew of the amazing friends in my life who speak truth with love and compassion; who listen, pray, and leave room for the waiting, as well as wait with me.

Something to Do

Message my friends who stand with me in trust, compassion, and wisdom.

 

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7 Comments

  1. The art of listening!
    Wendy centering on being a “know it all”, brought to mind we are not good listeners. Jobs friends were not good listeners.
    In order to listen we must be quiet. We need inner silence. It isn’t just not talking while the other person is speaking. Most people are not so rude as to talk while another is speaking. But too often they are not listening. More often they are just waiting to get their own ideas out and be heard.

    Take, for example, the cry of Job: “Oh that I had one person to hear me out” (Job 31:35). He was surrounded by people who thought they had all the answers, but who didn’t have the wisdom to first listen to him. They gave Job advice before really hearing him. Haven’t we all been guilty of that? We come to people with our agenda, our answers, before really finding out where they are. It’s much easier to spout off a quick answer than to take the time and reflection to listen.

    1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I was challenged by them. I too often am not quiet in my mind when listening to others. I am thinking about my response. I need to let my mind be quiet to truly listen to others.

  2. I really like praying a simple prayer of God help us/me. I used the word simple because I find when I pray I don’t know what to say and try to say way too much, and way too formal. Saying God help me (or fill in the name) from my heart says it all. I am weak sinner and I depend on the Lord.

  3. Good morning friends! 🙂
    I too noticed what NOT to do. Lord, may I never be a miserable comforter or spout off criticism and never stop talking.

    How does Eliphaz know that God doesn’t trust the angels?

    One of my spiritual gifts is exhortation. Lord let me always encourage in a pure and Godly way and truly listen to others.

    “God hates me” 16:9
    This one pierced my heart. It’s really hard to think of the anguish and pain Job was in. To feel like and believe that God hates you? It’s so sad, as God could never hate his children. He was so blinded by his suffering. 🙁

    Father, Let my prayers be pure and my pride lie in the dust. 16:15,17

    Job blames God but also realizes God is the only one to stand up for him. I can see the intense battle going on inside him.

    Why didn’t his friends just leave, wow.

    I have a friend/next door neighbor who lost her father the week before Christmas. He was sick and suffered. I struggle with what to say and how to comfort her. This has really helped me and I believe the spirit is saying that I don’t need to overthink or fix or offer my suggestions. I need to just love her, be with her, and pray with her. Thank you for this lesson Wendy.

  4. Job was far from perfect, but I did notice today that even through all the suffering, and all of the questioning, his hope was still in God alone. “Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high. My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God.” Job 16:19-20. I would like to think that I would still turn to God in his situation, but honestly, I can’t say for sure if I would be strong enough. My goal though to continue to grow in my faith, and strengthen my relationship with God daily.

  5. Well I got to hear the 2nd round of arguments today between Eliphaz and Bildad. These friends of Job make a common mistake that suffering happens because of sin. The story of Job makes it clear that just because someone loves God it does not exempt them from trouble. Suffering is caused by various reasons. I live in a fallen world. Sinful deeds do result in consequences. Many trails can come my way as God test my faith to refine my faith. I can get attacked from my spiritual enemy. Knowing which one of these is the source of my troubles is difficult. Suffering doesn’t always make sense, but thats ok because even if I may not be able to understand the pain that I experience, it can lead me to rediscover God. When trouble comes my way I can’t fill my mind with my own truths like Jobs friends did. Eliphaz truths came through his own experiences. Bildad was a traditionalist. He could only base things on the past. It worked in the good old days so it should still hold true today. Zophar was the man of reasoning with all of his if….then statements. These friends tried to reason with Job through their own truths instead of the truths of God. God’s testimony about Job is true. No experiences, traditions or reasoning can reveal truth. Only
    God’s disclosure of Himself and His will to His creatures can give me true revelations and that comes from reading the Bible and knowing who God is. Todays reading opened my eyes to this. God does not ask me to make sense of my troubled times. He calls me to trust Him in the midst of my suffering, for His grace is enough. Job trusted God. I don’t need to wonder why I suffer. I only need to wonder what God is trying to teach me through it all. The real truth is God promises that He will never leave me or forsake me, even in my suffering. He loves me and is conforming me to the image of His beloved Son, and that His grace is sufficient for me.

    My something to: don’t engage in long-winded speeches with my suffering friends. Pray for them, love them, and support them in their time of need.

  6. What I noted today were some repeat things from previous chapters.
    ~Seek God’s wisdom on how to speak to and help those who are going through difficult times.
    ~Praise God that He has provided a mediator between me and God—Jesus Christ.
    ~Don’t be a know-it-all!

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