Day Six – Chapter 6

“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; so that he does not forsake the fear of the Lord Almighty” (6:14).

Job’s so-called friends gather around him and are present with him in the midst of his distress and despair. One would think that they were with him to comfort him, especially having sat in silence with him for seven days (2:13), but once Eliphaz begins to speak we soon discover such was not the case. Instead of comforting Job these ‘friends’ bring accusation against him surmising that he must be guilty of some wrong doing otherwise he would not be suffering in the manner that he is. The entire scenario raises all sorts of questions for me: what kind of friends are these? If they were truly friends would they not know enough about Job’s life to refrain from asking certain things or making certain assumptions?

When Job begins to speak he declares, “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend.” For anyone that has ever been through something Job’s statement should hit very close to home. I know, first hand, what it is to experience grief and loss, and while I am certain that it is very different from what you may have endured it is loss and grief nonetheless. These times are excruciatingly painful and there often appears to be little or no relief in sight. You are afraid to be around a lot of people because while you want to be comforted you don’t want to be coddled or pitied. You sometimes feel that no one knows the depths of your pain and at times feel no one really cares.

I believe that it is during the most trying times that true friendship is put to the test, “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend.” I thank God for the friends who have gathered and who continue to gather around me during some of the darkest moments in my life. But they were and are not there to stroke my ego, assuage my guilt, confirm my rationalizations, or to be in general sycophants (‘yes people’). Their motivation has been that which Job delineates, “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; SO THAT HE DOES NOT FORSAKE THE FEAR OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY.” Job realizes what we often forget or refuse to forgive about our human nature and that is that when we are in pain and turmoil all sorts of things come out of our mouths because we hurt, but we must not blame, curse, or deny God. Job did not have such a friend in Eliphaz and he needed one. I thank God for my friends.

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving me friends with great gifts of discernment. Thank You for friends who know my life, my witness, my testimony, and my anointing. Thank You for friends who know the right words to say and the times to remain silent. Thank You for friends who will remind me of the mandate on my life and who seek to protect me from myself, and defend the power of my prophesy. May I follow their example and be an even better friend to them in their time of need, and may I never fail to honor you especially in the time of trouble. It is in the name of Jesus my Lord I pray. Amen.