A Little Help From My Friends

"A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty." Job 6:14

I really like the notes in my study Bible. They are short, but they usually provide a good starting point for applying God's word in every day life. The notes in this chapter say "be slow to give advice to those who are hurting. They often need compassion more than they need advice."

I can completely relate to Job's statement about friends. True friends should always be there for you, to listen, to provide comfort. So many times all you want to do is vent, but your friends feel like they should give their opinion or advice. Usually it is most annoying when you know what the right course of action is, you just have to get there on your own. Your friends can't talk you into it. I am sure I have been guilty of this many times. I want to try and remember this verse now, and in the future, when my friends go through troubles. Unless my opinion is requested, from now on I am going to try to be devoted to my friends in the way that they need, not the way that I think is best.

Blameless

The biggest thing I learned from reading Job 1 and 2 is that God is blameless, not us. Everyone knows the story of Job. A man of great faith, he was blameless before God, and prospered. Satan asked for a chance to test his faith. Despite losing his family, his wealth, and even being ridden with disease, he never blamed God.

The notes in my Bible talk about never knowing why things happen. Good and bad things happen in this broken world to Christians and non-Christians alike. The reasons matter less than our reaction. Do we turn away from God, casting the blame for our misfortune on Him?

"Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" Job 2:10b

I was reminded of a passage from The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis. A young princess escapes from her home. As she is riding away, a Lion chases after her and scratches her across her shoulders. It is later revealed that the Lion was Aslan, the Christ figure of the Narnia books. He asks the girl if she knows why she was torn.

"The scratches on your back, tear for tear, throb for throb, blood for blood, were equal to the stripes laid on the back of your stepmother's slave because of the drugged sleep you cast upon her. You needed to know what it felt like."

Despite the fact that it was a good, and even right, decision for the young princess to run away, her actions had consequences that she was not aware of. It makes me think, even when we are trying our best to be good Christians in everything we do, every choice we make effects the people around us. We may never know the true consequences of our actions. Because of that, how can we begin to question why bad things happen to us sometimes? Perhaps, sometimes, we simply need to know what it feels like.

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." Job 1:21b-22