Who is my Friend?

When we read the book of Job, we are usually astounded at the suffering endured by Job and amazed by the blessings enjoyed by him in the end! But this time when I read the book of Job, I was astonished by his three friends and the attitude they displayed!

When Job’s friends heard about the adversity that had come upon Job, they came to see him, to mourn with him and comfort him (Job 2:11-13).

But instead of sympathizing with Job, all three of them, in different ways extolled their own righteousness while proclaiming Job’s unrighteousness. In fact, Job was ‘pure and upright’ only in the eyes of God. Bildad called Job a hypocrite (8:13). The friends said that the current suffering exposed the past sins of Job. They did not have even one kind word for Job. They neither had compassion on him nor did they feel that he was suffering unduly. They did not encourage him or speak words of faith to him. They did not even offer to pray for him! They only had theories of how and why Job deserved it all. They were indeed the hypocrites!

Who then is our friend?

The timeless hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus”, was penned by Joseph M. Scriven, when he was emotionally down. It beautifully says who our real friend is. In our trials and temptations, or when we are weak and heavy laden, we cannot find a more faithful Friend. Even when our friends despise and forsake us, Jesus will put His arms around us and comfort us! This must be our life experience!

Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar said they were Job’s friends; but in reality, they had not been real friends at all. They had been jealous of Job all along. And now they were feeling righteous because of it was Job who was suffering. From the abundance of their hearts, they spoke!

My friend, we have to ask ourselves what kind of friend we are to our friends? Are we the shoulder they can cry on and the hand they can hold on? Or are we quick to judge them and say they deserve it all? While Jesus is the only true Friend who understands our inmost needs, as His followers, we are also called to love and serve the people God has placed in our lives!

The challenge for us today is being the kind of friend God wants us to be!

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 29th August 2017 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 30th August 2017

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