A Friend in Tough TimesSýnishorn

Three goals for good friends

Despite their soon-to-be-seen flaws, I love what Job’s friends did to help their buddy who had hit bottom. “When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him” (Job 2:11).

Did you catch their three goals? (1) To go. (2) To sympathize with Job. (3) To comfort Job. These guys left their homes, beds, and lives to be with their friend, offer their sympathy, and say something comforting. While they didn’t exactly achieve all three (read Job 3 to 31), I love their intentions.

Some of my classmates did this. A while ago, we heard the shocking news that one of our college and seminary classmates died of COVID at the age of 40. That’s when a few of his closest friends sprang into action. They left behind their beds in Wisconsin, packed into a couple of cars, and drove 600 miles to Kansas “to go” and “to sympathize” with his wife and “to comfort” his kids. They just went. That’s what friends do.

Is there someone you know who’s hurting today? These three goals are a good checklist for a powerful way to show Christian love. You don’t have to fix it (nor are you able to), but you can be a glimpse of God’s presence, sympathy, and comfort. That’s what friends do, just like our friend Jesus did for us.