DEC. 26, 2013
Be
Present
Read: Job
2:3-13
They sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and
no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great. —Job 2:13
After
20 children and 6 staff members were murdered in a Connecticut school, the
entire nation was stunned that such a horrific thing could happen. Everyone
focused on the tragedy and the questions surrounding it: What kind of person
would do such a thing, and why? How can we prevent it from happening again? How
can we help the survivors? Amid the chaos, an unlikely group moved in and made
a difference.
From
Chicago came dogs— specially trained golden retrievers that offered nothing
except affection. Dogs don’t speak; they simply offer their presence. Children
traumatized by the violence opened up to them, expressing fears and emotions
they had not spoken to any adult. Tim Hetzner of Lutheran Church Charities
said, “The biggest part of their training is just learning to be quiet.”
As
we learn from the book of Job, people in grief do not always need words.
Sometimes they need someone to sit silently with them, to listen when they need
to speak, and to hug them when their sorrow turns to sobs.
God
may not intervene to change circumstances and He may not explain suffering, but
He comforts us through the presence of other believers (Col. 4:8).
He’s with us in the valley,
Amid the darkest night
He tells us in our sorrow;
Faith will give way to sight. —D. DeHaan
Listening may be the most loving and Christlike thing you do
today.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
