Isn’t it interesting that a few of the very best lessons about life are learned within the face of death? One young man in my flock learned some profound lessons in such a situation.
He and his friend had been dropped off by a small Super Cub airplane within the wilderness of Alaska to hunt moose. They were experienced hunters and had all of the gear they would want for his or her hunt, including a satellite phone they decided to rent and produce along on the last minute. On their last day of the hunt, he spotted a bull moose and fired off one round. The moose didn’t go down but as an alternative began toward him. He reloaded his shotgun and fired, then felt intense pain. He looked down and noticed the gun had broken in half; one half had crashed back into him, severely lacerating his face and crushing certainly one of his eyes, out of which he still cannot see.
After the accident, while going through intensive surgery and recovery, still wondering about his ability to see, he wrote a listing of questions. He sent a replica of those inquiries to me. These are questions that will produce life lessons within the face of suffering and a detailed call with death:
- What am I doing?
- Where am I going?
- What does God want me to do?
- What does God have in store for me?
- What should I do with God’s blessings?
- What should I do with God’s trials?
- Will I turn out to be resentful?
In reading his questions, some surfaced in my heart and mind: How do you answer such profound questions? How do you turn out to be an element of God’s solution within the life of somebody surrounded by sorrow? How do you minister to someone who’s facing death?
I would like to encourage you that everybody within the body of Christ qualifies to be an authority assistant to the suffering. You would not have to be good, persuasive, articulate, or experienced. You may be involved in what I’ll call, “The Ministry of Presence.” Through the ministry of presence, you may bring comfort to the hurting—without ever being ordained or certified. You would not have to be anything but available to be a beautiful tool within the hand of God.
This ministry happened within the lifetime of Job when he was surrounded by sorrow. Three of Job’s friends heard the news, which took a while to succeed in them, and contacted each other, which took much more time to correspond backwards and forwards, they usually agreed to come back together to encourage Job. One creator said that if you happen to had one friend who would drop every thing and are available running that will be wonderful, but to have three friends like that is actually amazing.
THE PRESENCE OF JOB’S FRIENDS
We do not know how long it took Job’s three friends to search out him. Perhaps they first got here to his home and asked for him. Maybe it was certainly one of the remaining servants of the now windswept and desolate estate who pointed the option to the town dump. Perhaps it was Job’s wife who led them to where Job was sitting within the ash heap of the town garbage dump. The Hebrew text implies that it was not as much that these men doubted it was Job as simply that this man sitting on the ash heap didn’t look anything like Job.
“How can this man be the identical man we last saw?”
“It’s true,” their guide will need to have said, as he pointed at him from a distance, “that man with the skin open and running; that man scraping away at himself; that man moaning in unspeakable pain, affected by fever and nausea, whose beard is now tangled and matted, and whose eyes are sunken and encircled with dark bands; that man whose clothing is tattered and caked with blood and dirt, that’s Job, your friend.”
THE WISDOM OF JOB’S FRIENDS
Later within the book, Job’s friends make some silly statements, but they show remarkable wisdom on this scene.
They Identified With His Sorrow
Job’s friends thought, “If Job’s hair and clothing is dirty, we’ll get ours dirty too. If he’s sitting within the ash heap of the town dump, we’ll sit here with him. We won’t worry in regards to the stares or who comes to look at.”
They Joined In His Grief
We are told that these friends got here to “sympathize” with Job. The word in Hebrew means far more than a fast hug. “To sympathize or console,” on this text, means literally, “to shake the pinnacle or to rock the body backwards and forwards as an indication of shared grief.” It was not Job crying alone—it was now 4 men crying together at the town dump.
This is true religion. False religion says, “Be warmed and filled.” True religion puts on overalls, swings a hammer, writes a check, and cooks a meal. True religion is seen in three friends sitting down on the dump, within the ashes, surrounded by rotting garbage, with Job!
They Showed Respect For His Grief
Job’s friends are mourning the death of his children and servants with Job. They showed up, they usually showed respect for his grief. Have you ever noticed that nobody is ever invited to a funeral? Invitations are never mailed out. Friends do every thing they will to easily come—and if they can’t come, they send flowers, notes or cards to speak to the sufferer, “Listen—count me in. I would like to point out my respect and awareness of your grief.”
They Allowed Him To Speak First
Do not miss this; underline it in your mind. “The best option to help people who find themselves hurting is to simply show up. Say little or nothing . . . don’t try to elucidate every thing; explanations never heal a broken heart.
They Earned the Right To Speak
To exercise the ministry of presence, you would not have to have anything discovered. You may be inspiring in your silence, but you may err when speaking. You could have heard the anonymous quote, “I even have often regretted my speech, but never my silence.”
APPLICATIONS OF PRESENCE
Before we leave this profound scene with three eminent, dignified, wealthy, revered men sitting within the dust with Job, their beaten, weary, suffering friend, allow us to attempt to learn some practical lessons regarding this ministry of presence. It is a ministry and not using a word.
1. Reject the view that simply quoting scripture will eliminate sorrow.
The Bible is sufficient for our need, but Proverbs also talks in regards to the timely use of it (Proverbs 15:23; 25:11). You don’t walk into the presence of a Job and say, “Hey, guess what I read this morning in my quiet time? Man, this verse was perfect for you. Oh, by the best way, I got you this coffee mug with a smiley face on one side and an image of the cross on the opposite.”
The Bible just isn’t a band-aid. Do not stick your favorite verse on suffering believers, believing it can in some way eliminate their pain. Scripture just isn’t aspirin in your suffering friends. Do not say, “Here, take two of those with a cup of tea in your recent smiley face mug and call me within the morning.”
Physical injuries take time to heal—so do injuries of the guts. The sufferer needs the reality of Scripture demonstrated in and thru your life, as you minister to them along with your presence.
2. Refrain from the temptation to say something profound.
You might think you could have to provide you with a spiritual nugget to assist or that you could have to find a way to summarize the work of God in a sentence or two. The truth is that suffering often exposes us to the mystery of God—not a proof from God (Rromans 11:33; I Cor. 2:16; Proverbs 25:2).
We are running around attempting to glorify God by explaining the matter, while He intends to be glorified by concealing the matter. We must learn to say, “I don’t know what’s occurring.”
Applying this as a pastor may be slightly difficult. Imagine someone calling me, pouring out their story of suffering, after which, asking for a proof. How well is it going to go over for me to say, “Man, I haven’t got a clue. I’m completely stumped!”
You may know the tip of the book of Job, but let me remind you that while Job demanded a solution, God responded with His attributes; when Job wanted a proof, God revealed His status; though Job wanted a premise behind God’s actions, God declared His power through the motion.
3. Refuse any expectation of eliminating grief along with your insight.
You don’t eliminate sorrow; you share it, and by sharing it, you lighten the load. Reject the concept mature believers never grieve; that deep Christians don’t cry. If that were the case, then Jesus Christ was shallow (John 11:35).
4. Resist the angle that you should speak to precise love.
When the Lord finally showed up at Lazarus’ grave, He could have preached a sermon on His love for Lazarus; He could have made sure everyone knew how much He cared for His friend. Yet, when all He did was weep, the Jews saw this and without hearing Him say a word, they said, “See how He loved him” (John 11:36).
Joseph Bayly authored a book entitled, The Last Thing We Talk About. Joe and his wife Mary Lou lost three of their children. They lost one son following surgery when he was only 18 days old. Their second son died at age five from leukemia. They lost a 3rd son at age 18 after a sledding accident. He writes,
I used to be sitting, torn by grief. Someone got here and talked to me about God’s dealings, why it happened, and hope beyond the grave. He talked always; he said things I [already] knew were true. I used to be unmoved, except I needed he’d go away. He finally did. Another got here and sat beside me for an hour and more; listened after I said something, answered briefly, prayed simply and left. I used to be moved. I used to be comforted. I hated to see him go.
We would not have to be good, articulate, biblical scholars; it’s true that the best ability as a friend is availability. Just show up—and also you exercise the ministry of presence.
Dr. Stephen Davey serves as Colonial Baptist Church’s senior pastor and Shepherds Theological Seminary’s president. Stephen’s Bible-teaching ministry, Wisdom for the Heart, translated into Spanish and Portuguese, is broadcast on five continents and throughout the United States. Stephen lives in Cary, North Carolina, along with his wife, Marsha, and their 4 children; Benjamin, Seth, Candace, and Charity. Photo credit: ©GettyImages/ Maskot
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The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and don’t necessarily reflect the views or positions of Salem Web Network and Salem Media Group.
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