Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient? Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze? In truth I have no help in me, and any resource is driven from me.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, June 12, 2020
by R. Fergus Moir, Clergy Stuff
Stick a fork in me, I’m done. So says Job when his life collapses into the depths of misery. His friends counsel him to be patient. That if he just repents of whatever he must have done wrong and hangs on, God will fix everything. Job isn’t having any of it. His life has become just that unbearable.
I personally cannot stand the platitude that “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.” Because God doesn’t give us any suffering at all. And life frequently gives people more than any human being could possibly handle. We do not have the strength of stones, we are not made of bronze. And sometimes our own internal—and external—resources simply fail us.
The best thing any person can do for another who suffers is to sit in suffering with them, as God does. When a friend is in pain and you “just don’t know what to say,” then say nothing other than, “I’m here with you.”
Gracious God, help me not to try to push away or minimize the pain of others, but empower me to share their place in your name. Amen.
An
Exceptional
People
Blog Posts
SIGN UP NOW