“I have heard many such things;
miserable comforters are you all.
Shall windy words have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer?”
– Job 16:2-3
Consider this a practical reminder from Job that when you’re comforting someone, you don’t have to try and explain everything. It usually isn’t helpful and may actually be hurtful. You don’t have to find “the right words” when someone is in agony, grief, or sorrow. Just be there for them. Love them. Weep with them. Mourn with them. Pray for them. Bless them with your presence. You aren’t required to explain why difficult things are happening, especially when you don’t know!
We live in a fallen world, infected and affected by human sin, under a curse, and constantly stirred up by the evil works of the devil. Because this is the world in which we live, people we care about – friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors – will go through bad things. Illness, injury, betrayal, injustice, oppression, abandonment, disability, death, and more. Much of the time, no human can say with specificity why a particular bad thing is happening. So, don’t feel like you have to. Even if the person asks you.
It is usually enough just to be there. To offer prayers and the assurance of Christ’s love and God’s presence. To sit with them in their pain. To help in practical ways. To walk with them through hard seasons. Often, there are no “right words” because words can’t fix what’s wrong. Don’t stress about the words or your lack of them! Learn to be comfortable with silence. Simply be the presence of Jesus with those walking through the dark valleys of life. #FollowJesus