Comforting Friends In Need
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Wondering how to comfort your friend who is in need? This post is for you.
Life is hard. Bad things happen, and although the Lord doesn't cause this evil, we still go through struggle and pain.A friend in need of comfort is someone who is grieving or in a state of instability. Please don't mistake this for the person we all know who is running from the Lord. Certain people we can harm trying to comfort because we are furthering their mess. They need to be left alone with Jesus to handle.
Job's story in the Bible shows a friend in true need. He suffered through the agony of much loss and discomfort. Your friend may feel similarly. Something tragic has happened. They don't know how to cope with it, and you don't know what to do to help them.
"And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great" (Job 2:13)
Sit with them.
Be fully present for your friend. Disconnect from all other places. Focus your attention on one place. Be there for them all the way through their complete grieving process (7=completion).
This type of sacrifice seems unnatural. Well, I have work Monday morning. How am I going to just sit there that long? Picture the difference your presence would make. Wouldn't they feel comfort, support, and most importantly, love? The deep pain that comes at night, that's usually hidden from people in the darkest part of one's soul, could be exposed and shared with you. You could be there to shine light on your friend's darkness.
And don't speak a word.
It's vital that we check our own hearts when we're focusing on others. Are we saying something to our friend just because? How about if it was just because we ourselves felt awkward in that moment? Let's stop focusing on how we feel, and get in tune with how our friend feels.
If we're being honest, sometimes a person doesn't want to hear that everything is going to be okay. They truly don't feel okay. Their situation isn't okay. And those facts are okay. We don't need to sugarcoat pain. It's there, and it's real. Let's not try to relieve it with jokes, but bear it with love and humility.
If we're being honest, sometimes a person doesn't want to hear that everything is going to be okay. They truly don't feel okay. Their situation isn't okay. And those facts are okay. We don't need to sugarcoat pain. It's there, and it's real. Let's not try to relieve it with jokes, but bear it with love and humility.
Their suffering is great than you can imagine, even if you've been through similar.
Pray, and I'll pray with you. God is a refuge for those who seek Him.
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