Wondered by the Word — The Bible in a YearSample

What Am I Saying?

Key Verse: Job 42:7

I think we can all agree that words are important. In His infinite wisdom, God created the universe by the power of His words and chose to make Himself known through the preservation of His word.

Throughout Scripture, we see the folly of careless words and the power of the tongue is addressed dozens of times. One of the most powerful examples of God’s rebuke towards careless words is found in the story of Job. 

I can’t imagine the pain and grief Job experienced. And I couldn’t imagine being one of his friends, trying to console him with words that couldn’t touch the depth of his suffering. Job’s friends had plenty to say, and plenty that was not helpful to Job. 

In Job 42:7, after God had finished talking to Job, He turns to his friend Eliphaz, and says, “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” 

As believers, what God said of Job’s friend should remind us of the weight of speaking without praying or writing without thinking. Whether we are consoling a friend or posting on social media, our words should be informed by God’s Word, or we run the risk of misrepresenting our Father in Heaven. 

May this account encourage us always to ask, 

“Am I thinking what is right of God?”

“Am I speaking what is right of God?”

“Am I writing what is right of God?”

(Written by Yodit Kifle Smith)