Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. – Job 2:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 13, 2012): Job 2

One of the things that I don’t like to do is to drive to conferences with someone that I don’t really know in the car. The situation arises periodically – someone needs a ride and I am going anyway – and so we ride together. But as we ride, we need to talk. So we work hard to find things that we can talk about – common experiences, stories from our childhood, or maybe things that we think are important. The conversation isn’t natural, but it is better than the awkward silence that exists without the topics. So the conversation wins out and the silence is beaten to the borders of our consciousness.

The problem is that there are times when conversation just isn’t necessary. There is a time when the silence is appropriate – and there are also times when that silence is essential. But it is only a friend that can recognize those times and also that have the confidence to move through the silence. It is only a friend that can simply be the presence that we need in those dark times of our lives without adding unnecessary words.

Job’s experience with his friends starts off well. They are exactly who he needs them to be. They are the silence in the midst of Job’s grief – their presence without the need to speak is exactly what Job needs, and what his friends were able and willing to give. They knew Job well enough to comfortable in that silence.

Maybe the greatest gift that we can give someone in pain is our presence, without our words. There is only so much that can be said in the dark moments of our lives - and much of it only amounts to the clanging of cymbals. But our presence and silence can speak of how much we really care.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 3