An exceptionally long post on being quiet

I've had a fascination with the book of Job over the last couple of weeks.  I can't seem to get enough of the bible lately.  I want to read it and study it here and know more and more about what the words are saying to me.  I want to feast on this biblical buffet and get fat on it.

Job is a fascinating character, hence the fascination I have with this fascinating book. Enough, already.  One of the first things that really impacted me was the amount of frivolous conversation with his well-meaning friends.  "Job, dude, you must have sinned." Or, "I had a dream and God must've been speaking to you through me", or maybe it was just indigestion.  What struck me most was the use of space that God required be used to put down words that can't even be used as snippets of advice, not taken out of context and used as pearls of wisdom, just lots and lots of words, empty words.  Why didn't God just give the scribes the liberty to say something like, "Eliphaz gave Job some really stupid advice and Job rolled over and said, 'God, should I listen?' and God said, 'no'."  I mean paragraph after paragraph after word after word of meaningless advice.  

But, I had to know.  What's the purpose of this book?  What is the purpose of the majority of it taken up by friends who come to your side when you're suffering and speak utter nonsense?  Are we to learn from them a way of supporting each other somehow?

This year has brought its opportunities for supporting my friends.  I love my friends dearly.  I would never choose to have to support them the way its been going this year.  It's been a hard year for some.  Losing oh-so-tiny loved ones, losing dreams of having oh-so-tiny ones, tumors, broken dreams, unrequited love of children that may never be.  It's not been my struggle personally, but as friend and sister, its been lots of tears and hugs and aching holding back the questions of "why" to my Heavenly Father.

I just pray in each instance that God gives me the words I need to say or really takes them away from my mouth the words I don't need to say.  I have a way of shoving both feet in my mouth at the most inopportune moment.  This year I've learned to go in with God on my lips and nothing else.  Well-meaning phrases like, "It's ok, it'll be ok, don't worry, etc." are just sharp deeply penetrating words that sting hard when you're hurting.  

I do the human thing and call or email or facebook because I'm scared to death that my presence or moreover my words put to noise will fall on ears that will be pained by the noise of me.  So, I pray.  "Dear Lord, help me to know what to do for her.  Help me to know what to say and not to say.  Help her."  2010 was taken up by several of my friends in extreme pain, physically and mentally, so I prayed that a lot.  God gave me the greatest advice.  The overwhelming feeling I had was, "Just shut-up and be there.  Just be there.  Let me work.  You just be there."  One of my sweet friends said, "you know, every once in a while you need frivolous advice.  Some morsel, even the tiniest thing, to give you hope and light in a very dark place."  God is so good at what he does.

It's hard to be me and be quiet.  But, that's how it worked.  You see, Job needed his friends there for support.  He needed to know that he was part of community.  One where each had their own relationship with God, however odd it was, but they were there.  Ever present.

Be present and be prayerful.  

Constant communication with the Almighty God on their behalf.  

Go.  Without question God wants you to be there for your friends.  Drop whatever you're doing and be there.  The rewards will outweigh the cost of doing so.  We live as a community of believers, so welcome to the neighborhood!