Job 13:2-5

Job 13:2-5 2 What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3 But I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God. 4 You, however, smear me with lies; you are worthless physicians, all of you! 5 If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom.

It never ceases to amaze me how bad some people are at talking. I’ve been in a lot of situations where I know the person means well, I know their trying to help me, yet they treat me like an idiot. This is a common issue to have, well meaning people, well meaning friends, share some advice try to push you to a conclusion when your not there. In fact those friends tend to come off like Job’s friends do in verse four, they are worthless. What many of us miss, and this bears reminding to me as a minister as well is how often we need to do what Job says in verse five, basically to paraphrase “shut up!” Our desire to help, our desire to be a good friend, our desire to be a good person of faith sometimes overrides our better judgment and disables our abilities to truly be a help to people. There was a term I learned in seminary we emphasized it in our counseling courses and that was how to be a “non-anxious presence.” How to, not be disconnected from the trauma or the issue, but how to allow the people who need to be overwhelmed by it, the people who need to voice certain things, or feel a certain way to in fact have that moment. We as Christians are always in danger of telling people what to think and how to think it. This text is a good reminder that sometimes we need to “shut-up” and wait for a better time, or better yet, let God handle the issue. Amen.