Be a “Job’s Comforter”

Let me start this devotion by asking you a question: How many times have you found yourself in a difficult situation and had someone come to you with empty words of comfort, only to leave you feeling worse than before? We’ve all been there, and it’s a frustrating feeling.

But what if I told you that there is a way to be a true comforter to those in need? Let me introduce you to Job’s three friends.

“Now when Job’s three friends heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, they came, each one from his own place — Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. When they looked from a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe, and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great,” (Job 2:11–13).

When they heard about the adversity that had come upon Job, they didn’t hesitate to come to him. They didn’t initially come with empty platitudes or false hope. Instead, they wept with him, tore their robes, and sat with him in silence for seven days and seven nights. They saw his pain and chose to be with him in it.

Contrast that with Job’s other friends who mocked and reproached him. Of his other friends Job said, “They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me,” (Job 16:10). They were quick to judge and slow to offer any real comfort. But not these three friends. They chose to be present in Job’s pain, even though nobody had asked them to.

Now, let me ask you another question: If someone you love was going through a difficult time, would you be willing to sit with them in silence for a whole week? It’s a tough question, I know. But it’s one we should all consider.

We live in a world where comfort is often measured by the number of likes or comments on a social media post. But true comfort requires more than that. It requires us to be present in the pain of others, to sit with them in silence, and to weep with them.

Throughout history the term “Job’s comforter” meant someone who is a pessimist or causes distress under the guise of giving comfort. Perhaps, this title of Job’s three friends has been a little unfair.

So, my challenge to you is this: Be a Job’s comforter. Be a true comforter to those in need. Choose to be present in their pain, even when it’s uncomfortable for you. Because at the end of the day, true comfort is not found in empty words, but in the presence of those who are willing to be with us in our darkest moments.

For the next devotion in this series click here.

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