Job’s friends just talked too much. Do you
ever feel like your family or friends just talk too much? Do they carry on and
on about the same old things—or relive every part of every day, minute by
minute. Job’s friends' talking went beyond just chattering. He was condemning
his friends for their unkindness—downright lying—and deceiving him. They
claimed to be able to heal him—but they couldn’t. He felt that they were
dishonoring God and he just wanted them to be quiet. Quiet. Peaceful quiet. So
often we seek that when there has been constant noise, bickering, or
chattering. Silence is golden.
Even
fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem
intelligent. Proverbs 17:28
So true. If the fool can just keep from
speaking, no one knows they aren’t smart…intelligent. Once that happened to me.
A couple of fellow workers were discussing a problem that could be solved using
calculus. I didn’t say anything. Later one of the guys asked me, “Did you
understand that?” I admitted that I knew it was a calculus problem to be solved…but
I needed to look in a textbook to set it up. Ugh. I may have seemed smart—but I
wasn’t. At least I didn’t open my mouth and stick my foot in it—proving that I
wasn’t knowledgeable.
When it comes to spiritual things…are you
smart? Am I? At least we have great electronic resources these days that can
help us look up scriptures quickly—in a multitude of translations to give us
more insight. We can be amazingly silent while we’re looking up those scripture
references. Unlike Job’s friends, we can quietly honor God and our friends—as we
apply God’s word and wisdom to our lives.
Prayer
~ Lord, help us to speak the truth in love…and to be wisely silent—listening to
Your word and following Your will.
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
No comments:
Post a Comment