“Learn to keep close to Jesus, to listen to His voice, and follow Him.” Billy Graham

Rereading the book of Job gave me pause about my talking. I’m not comparing my hardships to Job, only how I handle what I don’t like. When I suffer and can’t make sense of it, I analyze and talk it to death. 

In the book of Job, he argued with three of his friends from chapters 4 to 31. It only ended because Job 32:1 said, “So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.”

They judged Job for his suffering. 

They presumed he did something to bring on God’s wrath. They judged his defensiveness and mocked his justifications. Lastly, they judged his righteousness and stopped talking to him. 

It’s true that Job needed advice and an attitude change. And he received some wise counsel from a fourth friend who stayed quiet until the others shut up. However, I could not believe Job couldn’t hear himself and figure out that arguing with his friends wasn’t working after a few pages, much less 28 chapters. 

All I could think was, Shut up with them and talk to God.

Next time I notice myself talking, talking, talking, maybe I’ll remember Job and take my own advice. 

Anyone else need this lesson?

In This Together,
Kim