Because Jesus Prayed

John 17

Textual Intro:  Jesus has finished his long teaching session with the disciples.  So, he ends this special time with prayer.  This prayer has been called the true “Lord’s Prayer” (the argument being that the other prayer called by that name would be better called “The Disciples’ Prayer’) and the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.

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My mother died early in 2001.  So, she did not live to see those awful images of planes hitting the World Trade Center and the wreckage of the Pentagon.  She never saw the videos of those iconic buildings collapsing.

I’ve often wondered what Mom’s response would have been.  Part of me believes she, like most Americans, would have found the pictures horrific.  Yet, since I can recall my mother and my father seriously suggesting the films of the moon landing were faked, I’m just not sure.  A life-long Democrat, she could have easily blamed George Bush, even suggesting “he knew and did nothing.” 

I’m not being disrespectful; it’s just she was very open to the idea of conspiracies.  Up until the President’s admission, she believed the press had made up the Monica Lewinski scandal.  Some people are just more ready to see the sinister.

Halloween celebrates fear as fun.  But real fear, the fear that persists after the masks come off and the gruesome decorations are packed away, isn’t fun.  In recent months I’ve talked about personal fears but some people fear for the future of the church.  They wonder if it will survive.

Of course, this is nothing new good people sometimes allow themselves to be filled with dread, fear for the future of the church. 

Consider this prediction made by a well-known evangelist concerning the possible election of a certain presidential candidate.  If this person were elected the speaker warned,

“The Bible would be cast into a bonfire, our holy worship changed into a dance of [impious] phrensy, our wives and daughters dishonored, and our sons converted into the disciples of Voltaire and Marat [of atheism and anarchy.]”

That warning was made by the devout and learned Timothy Dwight, president of Yale, about the candidacy of Thomas Jefferson in the 1800 election.  Jefferson was elected.  But instead of being plunged into spiritual darkness, the nation experienced what is known as “The Second Great Awakening,” a revival that, according to some historians, continues to shape American Christianity.

Still, the prediction of impending doom persists.  Let’s weigh those predictions against the Bible’s message regarding the church.

My text comes from a passage sometimes called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.  So, let me ask a “no-brainer” question:  Who was praying this prayer?

This prayer was being prayed by One Paul called the Head of the Church.  And it’s a fact we should keep in mind.

In this prayer, Jesus prays for his disciples, for those standing before him who would face the ordeal of watching their Master crucified and the challenges of spreading the gospel of the Risen Lord and he prayed for those who would become believers in the future--including those disciples here today.

This prayer reveals several things Jesus wants for the church.  We could spend a long time focusing on each of those requests but I’m going to focus on just one and its significance for us.

Because Jesus Prayed the Church May Be Secure

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Jesus knew the future would not be easy for the church.  The same forces that would soon send him to the cross would just a little later conspire to defeat and destroy his church.  This prompted him to pray for the post-Easter security of the church.

Jesus’s words show how real security comes through dependence upon God’s power, “protect them by the power of your name.”

The idea behind this request seems to be for the Father to personally protect the church.  God’s own power and authority would guard the church.  But protect it from what, guard it how? 

If this were a prayer simply for the physical security of the church, it would seem as if it has gone unanswered over the centuries.  The so-called martyrs’ roll has continued to grow.  In fact, some authorities argue that more Christians died for their faith in the twentieth century than in all the previous centuries combined.

Jesus hints that his prayer for the security of the church is more concerned with the spiritual welfare of the church than its physical welfare.

¹⁴ I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

Two important ideas are present in this request.  To begin with, Jesus’s intent was not that the church be isolated and insulated from life; the church is to be in the stream of life.  The truth is, those who are isolated and insulated from life are unable to be change agents, unable to be the “salt and light” Jesus called his people to be.  At the same time, being isolated and insulated from life denies us the opportunity to know the power of God in experience.  The power of God to keep and to sustain is theoretical until we face a crisis.  This is why Donald Grey Barnhouse once said, “It’s a whole lot better for you to live in Philadelphia and have the victory over evil in the world than it is for you to go to heaven.”

Ultimately, Jesus was praying for his people to be secure from the assaults of Satan (“the evil one”).  We modern Christians don’t talk much about Satan.  We’re a little embarrassed at the thought of believing in a character so many think of as having horns and a pitchfork.  This Satan has a major roll in cartoons and jokes.

It seems there was once a man who hated a small church in his neighborhood.  His blood boiled every time this group of simple believers met.  One Halloween season he decided to play a trick on them.  He rented a “Satan” costume--complete with horns, tail, and pitchfork.  Before an evening service, he hid in the church basement and just as the pastor began to preach he threw the main breaker and dashed upstairs to the sanctuary that was lit only by moonlight.  He shrieked and cried, “I’m the devil and I’ve come for your souls.”  Well, everyone, including the pastor, ran out of the church, everyone but one little man sitting near the front.

 Not about to have his fun spoiled, the phony Satan jumped up and down in front of the man and screeched his threat again.  Still, the little man just sat there.  At last “Satan” said, “I’m Satan, aren’t you afraid of me?”

The little man responded, “Why should I be afraid of you?  For the last thirty years I’ve been married to your sister.”

The Satan of the Bible is no comic character, this being known as “The Destroyer,” “The Accuser,” ”The Enemy,” the being whose very name is means “The Adversary.”  Jesus knew this, intimately, for Satan had tirelessly worked to derail his mission.  So much is summed up in that frightful name:  “The Evil One.”  This being is against everything God is for.  His goals are diametrically opposed to God’s goals.

And, he is amazingly subtle in his efforts to implement those goals.  In fact, he encourages both Christians and non-Christians, alike, to embrace a kind of a-Satanism, the belief that he doesn’t really exist, that only primitive and uneducated people believe in Satan.  Yet, the degreed Christian businesswoman can attest to his existence as she watches friends succumb to the power of greed, materialism, and the thirst for power.  The Amish brother who lives in what appears to us as a world of pristine simplicity can attest to his existence as pride, masked as humility, and cruelty, masked as discipline, threatens the community.  Malcolm Muggeridge, the British editor and critic who came to faith late in life, addressed the pseudo-sophistication that denies the existence of Satan when he wrote:

“I have found the devil easier to believe in than God; for one thing, alas, I have had more to do with him.  It seems to me quite extraordinary that anyone should have failed to notice, especially during the last half century, a diabolic presence in the world, pulling downwards as gravity does instead of pressing upwards as trees and plants do when they…reach so resolutely after the light.”

In the face of such an enemy it might seem best to retreat strategically, to cloister ourselves safely away from his leonine ferocity.   Some churches and Christians do cower in the corner, fearing the corrupting power of the world’s evil, forgetting that Jesus has already made arrangements with the Father to protect us.

We need to remember that the church that depends upon God’s protection has no need to cower.  As we pray, as we worship, as we proclaim, as we minister we demonstrate our dependence upon God, demonstrate our certainty that the Father will answer the prayer of His Son. 

In light of this, we should be ready to engage our world with confidence.  We need to remember how the man who prayed this prayer also said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not be strong enough to destroy it.”  Many modern translations take some of the militancy out of that promise by rendering is something like “not even death will overcome it.”  That’s still quite a promise and it supports what I’ve said to you again and again over the years—so often you might be tired of hearing it but here it is:  It is always too soon to publish the church’s obituary.

Now, let me try to be a little more specific.

Because Jesus prayed we can “keep calm and carry on.”

This slogan that originated in pre-war Britain is more popular now than it was on the eve of the war.  Still, it was an attempt to capture a spirit, a spirit embodied in the signs we saw in London after the 7/7 attacks.  Many stores had signs saying “Business as usual.”  That phrase is sometimes used in a negative sense but not in this case. Those signs actually went back to the government policy during World War I.  The idea was to refuse to let the enemy erode morale.  The signs appeared again during the blitz. 

When under attack, God’s people need to carry on by doing business as usual.  Of course, for God’s people doing business as usual means staying true to the Faith, living lives of integrity through the power of the Spirit, and striving to be salt and light in our community.

Because Jesus prayed we can respond rather than react.

A couple years before coming here I attended the Texas Evangelism Conference, meeting in the Reunion Arena in Dallas.

During a break I was standing in line to buy an overpriced hot dog when I overheard an older couple behind me talking.

The woman said, “ This sure is a beautiful meeting place.”

“It certainly is,” said the man, “Texas Baptists own it, you know.”

“Really,” said the wife, “that’s a great blessing for our meetings.”

I was both amused and touched by their obvious pride in being Texas Baptists.  Then, we moved up a little further in the line, close enough to read the menu.

The  lady gasped, “Look, they sell beer.  The shouldn’t be selling beer in a Baptist building.”

“Well,” said her husband, “when I get home, I’m telling the pastor and he’ll deal with that.”

Now, you probably know Texas Baptists never did own Reunion Arena.  It belonged to the city of Dallas and was torn down in 2009.

That couple didn’t have the facts, so they reacted rather than responded.  Knowing Jesus prayed for his church means we can take the time to find out the facts.  That’s important.

Some Christian writers and radio hosts regularly declare that Christians behave no better than the non-Christian population.  Some even claim that the divorce rate among Evangelical Christians is as high or higher than that of the larger population.  Hear statistics like that and some people want their preacher to start imitating an Old Testament prophet, some even say the church is doomed.  But what happens if you remember Christ’s prayer for the church?  You catch your breath and say, “Is that so?”

Here’s Bradley Wright, professor of sociology at UConn, on the results of his research.

Essentially people who associate themselves with Christianity, as compared to the religiously unaffiliated, are more likely to have faithful marriages, commit less crime, interact honestly with others, and not get into as much trouble with drugs or alcohol.  What’s more, the more committed Christians are to their faith, as measured by church attendance, the greater the impact the church’s teachings seem to have on their lives.[1]

Once you know the facts about any issue, you can formulate a reasoned response.  So the next scary statistic you hear, think of Jesus’s prayer and say, “Let’s check that out.”

Because Jesus prayed we don’t have to fear change.

Change happens.  If change stopped happening, that would be a change.  Some change should be resisted but often the most resisted changes are neither good nor bad.  Resisting changes in our churches often reflects your tastes not your moral or spiritual superiority.

At the beginning of the fourth century Christians were facing some of the most intense persecution they would ever face; they probably wouldn’t have believed that within a quarter-century a Christian would be sitting on the imperial throne.

A quarter-century from now, we might see tremendous changes in the church, especially its structure.  Your children and grandchildren might not attend a church like this one.  An increasing number of American Christians are attending non-traditional churches.  Somewhere between 13 and 15 percent of “born again” Christians attend churches that meet in homes or other small venues.  Sometimes these are multisite churches; the home churches are part of a larger church where its members gather for special occasions but the small venue is the usual (weekly) place for Bible study and fellowship. 

That would be quite a change from what my generation is used to.  When we say to a neighbor, “Come to my church” we direct that neighbor to a building with a steeple or a cross on it, a landmark.  What if “Come to my church” included the suggestion “if we get there early we can get a seat on the couch.” 

That’s a pretty big change and I doubt the traditional church will ever be replaced.  Perhaps it shouldn’t be.  But, in any case, because Jesus prayed we don’t have to be afraid of change.

Because Jesus prayed we don’t have to be afraid of criticism.

You don’t have to look far before you find an apologetic Christian; I don’t mean one who is ready to defend the faith; I mean one who is ready to apologize for the faith.

Behind their statements is a pitiful plea that seems to say, “See, we’re really open-minded.  We’re nice.  Don’t criticize us.”

Several places in the New Testament Jesus reminds his disciples there will always be those who insult, persecute, and “say all kinds of evil things about [Christians] falsely” because of their commitment to Him. 

Don’t misunderstand. Sometimes we Christians are criticized because we are doing something wrong.  But sometimes we are criticized because we are doing something right.

Because Jesus prayed we don’t have to be afraid of paradox.

As a prospective student, I interviewed with the faculty of the Religious Studies Department at Rice University, one professor known for his study of contemporary culture, took the fact I had self-identified as “an Evangelical” to be an indication of how I voted.  He had pigeonholed me, just like many people do with Christians today.  When the Southern Baptist Convention meets in Columbus this next summer the Dispatch will have plenty of articles telling the world what you think.  Some you will agree with; some will leave you saying, “Now, wait a minute.”

To a degree that’s our fault.  We have come down so hard on some issues that people make assumptions about what we believe about other things.  We’re afraid that if we speak in favor of some issue, people will assume we are speaking in favor of everything the media usually associates with that issue.

We don’t have to be afraid to speak out about what is right if it is right.  But we should do so with clarity—even if our clarity confuses some people.

Maybe it’s time people saw Christians as “liberals” who hold tenaciously to “conservative” values.  To use a tried and true paradoxical cliché: We need to model what it means to hate the sin and love the sinner.  That’s not easy; usually we end up erring on one side or the other but we don’t have to be afraid of trying.

During the height of the AIDS crisis in New York City, the one group that consistently welcomed and cared for the victims of the disease was a band of nuns.  Along with their church, they condemned the behavior that spread the disease but they remembered to love its victims.

Because Jesus prayed we don’t have to be afraid of the future.

Imagine a scenario in which a computer designed to “made as many paper clips as possible” decides that “wiping out humanity will help it achieve that goal—because humans are to only ones who could switch the machine off, thereby jeopardizing its paper-clip-making mission.”  The single-minded computer then interacts with other computers to set in motion our destruction.  That’s not the plot of some cheesy Sci-fi film; it’s a possible future suggested by Nick Bostrom the director of the future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford.

Now, I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon--especially if I get to touch the computer.  I seem to have a way of seriously injuring even the smartest of them.

The truth is we don’t know the future.  The Bible may give us hints but it doesn’t give us an agenda; it certainly doesn’t give us a calendar. 

We all know it’s impossible for most of us to really predict what the coming days and years will bring.  Remember, fifteen years ago most Americans would have probably said, “Barak who?” if you mentioned the man who is now our president.

The disciples who overheard Jesus’s praying didn’t know—really know—the future.  They were apprehensive because Jesus had talked about a Jewish-Roman conspiracy ending with his death.  That was all they heard; they were deaf to the references to Jonah and “the third day.”  But the man who prayed this prayer defeated death.  Some seven weeks after he prayed he promised his disciples (all of them including us):   “Remember, I am with you each and every day a until the end of the age.”

That’s not a bad thing to keep in mind as you face the future.

CONCLUSION

I never want to be glib when people express fear and concern about the church.  Large segments of the church have been seriously damaged by false doctrine or even abandoning doctrine.  But the church—the “remnant,” to use the Biblical term—goes on. Outwardly the institution may seem to be struggling for existence but the church—“the invisible church,” to use the historical term—goes on.  There will always be a “church within the church,” “wheat amongst the tares.”  And that church will go on—because Jesus prayed.

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[1]  Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites and Other Lies You’ve Been Told, p. 152.

When the Praise Stopped

When the Praise Stopped

Revelation 8:1-6

Over the years our mid-week service—called “Prayer Meeting” in our church and in hundreds of other Baptist churches—has heard lots of prayer requests, some repeated for weeks and months.  Of course, given the casual atmosphere of our meeting, there have been other things repeated as well.  We have repeated stories, jokes, political observations, and complaints about the weather.  I don’t know if this happens in other small church prayer meetings but we’ve also returned again and again to the notion of prayer being a mystery. 

Years ago, I heard a favorite professor begin his chapel message by saying, “I believe in prayer and I’ve been known to pray at times.”  Given the setting, it was funny.  But it still resonates with me.  “I believe in prayer.”  There, I’ve said it.  The great heroes of the Bible and Christian history were people who prayed and encouraged others to pray. 

Moreover, “I’ve been known to pray at times,” though probably not as much as you might think the average pastor prays.

If I were to be perfectly honest—another trait that pastors aspire to but don’t always attain—I’d have to modify that professor’s words to become, “I believe in prayer and I’ve been known to pray at times, even though the whole process is a mystery to me.”

Even in the Bible there are matters regarding prayer that are puzzling.  We believe God rules in history and his word is certain.  Yet, we have stories in which God says, “I’m going to punish those people.”  Then some devout person prays, “Lord, don’t’.” And God says, “Okay, I won’t.”

I’ve long been suspicious of those who attempt to reduce prayer to a simple formula.  I’m not one but there are certain Fundamentalists I admire.  One of these is John R. Rice.  Decades ago Rice wrote a book called Prayer: Asking and Receiving. One modern writer called it the best book on prayer ever written.  I read it and it’s an encouraging book but it evades some tough issues. Rice argues that prayer is simply asking God and then waiting to receive what you ask for.  Yet, that doesn’t quite seem to fit our experiences.  (By the way, Rice also wrote a book called Bobbed Hair, Bossy Wives, and Women Preachers that is less inspiring.)

Then there are those good people who say, “God always answers our prayers.  He either says ‘Yes,’ ‘No,’ or ‘Wait.’”  Now, it seems pretty clear when God says “Yes,” but how do you distinguish between “No” and “Wait.”  We can’t help but wonder how many dear saints have prayed and held on to the notion that God is saying “Wait,” only to realize after years of hoping that the answer was really “No.”

And, don’t get me started on those people who say, “Be careful what you pray for or you just might get it.”  What kind of benevolent God works that way?  Years ago in a New Orleans grocery story I overheard a dialogue between a mother and her son who was about seven or eight.  He kept asking her to buy a bag of candy; she kept saying no.  But again and again he asked, and she finally grabbed the bag, tossed it into her cart, and said, “I’m going to get it but you’re going to have to eat every bit of it.”  The boy said, “Really!  I can?”  Can we wear God down like that; persuade him to give us something that’s not good for us just to get us to shut-up?

And, of course, there is that question so many ask: “If God already knows what I need, why do I need to pray?”  There’s probably no simple answer to that.  Certainly the Bible tells us that God heaps many things on us, good and needful things that we never ask for.  So, the balance is always likely to be in God’s favor.  Could it be we must ask God for things he already knows we need so we can be clear how much we need them?  Would we ask for forgiveness if we weren’t confronted with our own sin?  When confronted with another’s need, would be we tempted to be lackadaisical if we thought God would take care of it, that we don’t need to be concerned?  At the same time, when we do pray for another’s need are we more inclined to be God’s instrument to bring the help he sends their way?  Is it possible we are to ask God for what he already knows we need so we will be clear about the source of the blessings when they come?  Of course, none of these really answer the question.

I’m sure you have some prayer-related questions I’ve missed.  Maybe something like, “If we’ve already prayed for the food once, do I need to pray for leftovers?”  In truth, the answer to that might be linked to the age of the leftovers.

Questions or not, I come back to the fundamental statement—“I believe in prayer.”

In the mysterious Book of Revelation, John encourages us in such a belief.  So, let’s look at this episode to hear what it has to say to us. 

But remember, it was first addressed to people who had a lot more to worry about than what to wear on an October Sunday morning. 

The church was on the cusp of the first imperial persecution, the beloved John had already been exiled on Patmos.  Other Christians were already beginning to experience the first assaults of an enraged empire where the simplest of confessions “Jesus is Lord” was seen as a threat to order and peace.

John’s book was written to give hope and encouragement to these beleaguered people.  So, John encourages them to pray.  There are three insights about prayer in this picture.

GOD WELCOMES OUR PRAYERS.

Silence is not how we imagine heaven.  Isaiah’s vision pictures heaven as a great throne room filled with the continual praises of Seraphim who call out to one another.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Is the Lord of Hosts

The whole earth is

Full of his glory.

Or maybe you remember John’s description from a few chapters earlier.  Again fantastic celestial creatures are present; creatures that “day and night…never stop saying ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty….”

No, we don’t picture silence in heaven.  Yet, when the seventh seal is broken there is silence in heaven.

Most commentators believe this image reflects a Jewish tradition which says the praised of heaven cease for a while so God may hear the prayers of his people.   Obviously, no one means heaven is too loud for God to hear; it’s simply a picturesque way to say God welcomes our prayers.

Of course, the entire Bible supports the truth that our prayers are important to God. 

In a culture like ours that values activism, keeping busy, the thought of pausing to pray seems too much to ask.  So, John reminds us of two more truths about prayer.

WHEN WE PRAY, WE OFFER WORSHIP TO GOD.

John’s readers may have never visited the temple in Jerusalem but many of them would have heard the stories of offerings were brought to the great altar to worship God.  That’s behind the imagery here.

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

Worship involves acknowledging God for who he is and what he has cone.  Earlier John pictured the worship of the God the Creator.

The people of God  “put their crowns down before the throne and say:

‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, 


to receive glory and honor and power,


because you made all things.


Everything existed and was made,


because you wanted it.’”

Then he pictures the worship of the Lamb—Jesus Christ.  Voices throughout heaven sing “a new song:

 “You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals

because you were killed,

and at the cost of your own blood  you have purchased for God

persons  from every tribe, language,  people, and nation.”

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“Worthy is the lamb who was slain

to receive power and wealth

and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature-in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them- singing.”

Giving God praise for creation and redemption is an understandable expression of worship.  So, too, is prayer.  Prayer begins with seeing God as benevolent and as the source of the good things we seek.  It recognizes our dependence upon him and our limitations. 

So, our faltering, ill-formed prayers, born out of our desperation are welcomed by God as acts of worship. 

It is an encouragement to pray but John takes it further.  He lets us know that PRAYER MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

The scene ends as “… the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

The people facing pressure for their faith needed to know they weren’t wasting their breath.  Richard Mouw tells about a tourist visiting Jerusalem.  The tourist met a man praying at the famous “Wailing Wall.”  He stood bowing back and forth toward the wall as he cried out his prayers.  When he finished the tourist ask what he had been praying about.

The man said, “I was praying for peace for Jerusalem, for Israel, and for the middle east.”

The tourist asked, “Have your prayers been answered?”

The man said, “No, it’s like talking to a wall.”

John’s vision tells us that praying is not like talking to a wall; God hears our prayers and God responds.  Things like “thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” are powerful. In the same way our prayers can have an earthshaking impact.

In the context, the prayers John is talking about are prayers for justice.  All around the world people are living with injustice.  This vision offers the comfort that some day God will act to right the wrongs they have suffered.

In a larger sense, prayer can change the world in other ways.  Craig Keener tells of how in the early 1990s Christians began meeting to pray for the Islamic nations on Friday nights, the traditional night for Muslim worship.  Though the Muslim nations were considered “closed” to evangelism, word began to trickle out to those leading the prayer meetings that all across the Muslim world men and women were turning to Christ.  Prayer was changing an unchangeable world.

In the late eighteenth century, American culture was chaotic as men and women announced their independence from God.  Drunkenness and lawlessness marked much of the new frontier.  Yet, across denominational boundaries Christians began praying for an awakening.  They prayed for years; then, the Second Great Awakening shook the nation.  Thousands came to Christ and the culture changed.  It was the product of prayer.

Conclusion: 

Sometimes we seem surrounded by threats.  We look at a map and wish for the days when the ancient mapmakers honored the stuff of myths by noting on the far corners of those maps “Here be monsters.”  But we know the treats we worry about won’t stay in the far corners of the world and they aren’t myths.  We call them by different names; instead of dragons or sea-monsters we say Ebola, ISIS, urban violence, extremism, and sheer evil.  It’s enough to make an ACLU sustaining member apply for a conceal-carry permit.  We watch TV programs about zombies to comfort ourselves that things could be worse.  Like once despised “nerds,” we feed on stories of super heroes because, ultimately, we feel we have no power. 

The beleaguered band that first read John’s story of the praise stopping in heaven had no weapons, no political clout, no friends in high places.  There were no journalists pleading their cause in daily editorials.  No legal aid society stood with them in the courtrooms.  All they had was prayer.  They changed the world.

In the end, I believe in prayer.  Despite all the mystery, all the unanswered questions, I believe in prayer.  And, because of that, I’ve been known to pray at times. Maybe you do too.

Comforting Comforters

Comforting Comforters

I Thessalonians 5:11

You remember Job. 

We don’t know much about him.  We don’t even know who wrote the book that tells his story or when it was written.  Fortunately we don’t have to know these things to appreciate his story.

We can guess he was a hard-worker whose labor was rewarded with land, crops, and herds.  He was a loving father and a devout believer—though he may not have been ethnically or religiously Jewish.  But there isn’t much we know beyond that.  However, in Job 4:4 we learn he was probably a good friend.  Eliphaz commends Job because “your words kept men on their feet.”  

Of course, we also know that almost overnight he lost his possessions, his children, and his health.  His wife survived but, if you know the story, that may or may not have been a blessing.

He desperately needed someone to comfort him.  But no one stepped forward to help him stay on his feet.  Instead, there was that group of men known to history as “Job’s Comforters.”  Just in case you don’t know the phrase (or Job’s experience with them) let me give you a definition from Wordsmith.org:  “Job’s comforter [refers to] a person who tries to console or help someone and not only fails but ends up making the other feel worse.”

None of us wants to face such comforters; none of us, I hope, wants to be such a comforter.  We want to be the most comfort we can be when we deal with a friend or loved-one facing a difficult time.

How can we help when we just don’t know how?  Here are some basic suggestions.

 You can help by refusing to offer insights that are “above your pay grade.”

The “backstory” of Job is strange, perhaps unprecedented and never again repeated.  Certainly it is one we could have never guessed; we needed the author’s introduction.  We don’t always have this kind of insight.

Yet, a lot of anguish in human relationships—and that includes relationships in the church—occur when people claim to know what they can’t possibly know.

In a sense, this was the root problem of Job’s comforters.  The unhelpful words they heaped on Job did not come from knowing Job but from their commitment to a theory, a philosophy.  A worldview that happened to be wrong.

So, the news of Job’s great tragedy goes out and his “comforters” descend upon him with their one-size-fits-all message.  We can sum it up in a few words:  You must’ve sinned.  That was their explanation for all of life’s troubles.  You must have sinned; otherwise life would be going pretty well for you.

It’s a response to suffering that was around long before Job’s story refuted it and around long after Job.  Centuries later Jesus refuted it, yet it’s still around today.

If you don’t want to be a “Job’s comforter,” don’t go there.

Of course, we give other answers beyond our pay grade.  We say to the young father who’s just been laid off, “God knew you trusted that job too much; he wants to teach you to trust him.”  God certainly wants us to trust him but do we really know enough to use that to explain an economic downturn?

Don’t misunderstand; sometimes our behavior gets us into trouble and sometimes we need God’s chastening.  And sometimes God does have something to teach us.  But, unless you have hacked heaven’s computers and read your friend’s private file, don’t make assumptions.

We should always weigh our responses to a friend’s troubles—especially our initial responses—to be sure we’re not claiming to know more than we can possibly know.

You can help by hearing what the sufferer has to say.

When we set out to be a comfort to another person we often spend time wondering what we’re going to say.  It might be better to spend some time thinking about how we might best listen.

 People facing pain and difficulty, especially if it has come on them without warning, often need to vent their feelings.  They need someone who will listen to their angry questions without condemning them and, usually, without trying to answer them.  They may need someone to hear their story one more time, how the doctor broke the news, how the crash occurred, how their spouse said the marriage was over.

What if that person says something outrageous, something bordering on heresy?  What if that person offers some interpretation about God’s dealings with the world which simply does not square with the Scripture?

First, remember that time might give this person a clearer perspective.  Second, I think it’s appropriate to say, “You know, I don’t think I agree with you but this is not the time for a theological debate.  Maybe we can talk later.”

You can help by pointing the sufferer to the good graces of God.

Paul and other writers believed it was God’s nature to encourage those going through “that lonesome valley.”  He wrote to the Thessalonians, “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”  ^{(2TH 2:16-17)}

In another place Paul described God as, “… the God who gives endurance and encouragement.”

Urging people going through a tough time to pray—to honestly admit their fears and anger to God—may be one of the best things you can to for them.  Briefly sharing a scripture may put them in touch with the One who knows the depth of their pain and confusion.

You can help even if you can’t be with the sufferer.

You might be able to encourage someone at a distance through a letter.  The art of letter writing is somewhat a lost art in these days of cell phones and email, but an old-fashioned letter, carefully crafted and focused, can be a long-term source of encouragement. 

The Jerusalem church sent a letter to the church at Antioch.  On one level, it was a letter about a policy issue, but it had a deeper effect.  Luke describes the impact of that letter.  He says, “The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.”  Paul wrote some of his letters to encourage those churches he couldn’t visit.

Keep in mind you might be able to send your word of encouragement through another.  While in prison for his faith, Paul sent Timothy and others out to carry a word of encouragement to the churches he cared about.

Maybe you can’t visit your sick or grieving friend.  Maybe you can send a word of encouragement to them through another.

Let me take a moment to say something about phone calls.  Sometimes they’re good, but the truth is they take place on our terms, on our schedule.  They take no account of how busy or how weary our troubled friend might be.   Mobile phones have complicated the situation because it means calls are almost inescapable.  So, if you must call, ration your calls; don’t cause someone to dread seeing your name on the caller id.  If you do call, don’t pad your call with “war stories” about people in similar situations. Calls might be best well after the crisis and then an occasional call just to check in.

You can help despite your lack of formal training.

Sometimes we hesitate to try to offer encouragement to someone going through a painful situation because we are at a loss for words.   We think it is a job for the professionals.  Certainly we need professional counselors, but sometimes it may be enough to just let the sufferer know you care.

Joseph Baylys had repeated tragedies in his life.  The former seminary professor, who died a few years ago, after writing one of the finest books on grief I’ve ever read, lost three sons.  One died as an infant, another died at the age of six from a chronic illness, and another died in a sledding accident at the age of nineteen.  As Baylys left the hospital following his six-year-old’s death, the nurse who had cared for the child rode down in the elevator with him.  She said, “I wish I could find the words to give you some comfort in a time like this.”

Baylys said, “You just did.”

What did he mean?  He meant it was encouraging to know someone cared.  You can convey that with just a few words or, sometimes, with just your presence.

You can help even if you’re facing some tough times yourself

Often, when hurt or wounded by life, we have to focus on our own mending process.  We have to expend our energy getting better.  The Bible’s description of human nature recognizes that.

But, sometimes, in the strange grace of God, the wounded can serve as the healers. 

In Acts 19-20, we have an account of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus and its aftermath.  In one explosive afternoon, some irate devotees of the goddess Diana cause a near riot.  Suddenly, it was too dangerous for the Apostles to stay there.  Their lives and the lives of the new Christians were in danger.  So Paul had to leave the dear friends he had made in Ephesus.  This is how Luke explains what Paul did next.

    When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia.  He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people… (Acts 20)

Although hurting himself, Paul was able to offer encouragement to others. 

You can sometimes help without speaking a word.

This should be a comfort to the chronically tongue-tied and a caution to the persistently verbose.  Sometimes actions not only speak louder than words, they are more effective and more appreciated.

A friend facing a challenging time may need some very practical help.    Load a dishwasher.  Feed the pets.  See if their car needs tidying up or a little gas.  These are the things easily forgotten in a stressful time.

We can all help by being the people God intended us to be.

From the Old Testament to the New, God has always wanted his people to be in a community, a community where encouragement is the norm.

The prophet Isaiah preached to a culture that had largely forgotten how to be God’s people.  We know there were frequent forays into idolatry and into sexual sin, but there were other ways in which they failed to be the people God wanted them to be.  In one of his sermons, Isaiah said:

Stop doing wrong,

learn to do right!

Seek justice,

encourage the oppressed.

Defend the cause of the fatherless,

plead the case of the widow. (Isa. 1:16-17)

To be the people God wanted them to be they would become encouragers.  One translation says they were to “gladden the oppressed.”

That God still intends his people to be a community of encouragement is seen in the New Testament as well.

In that familiar passage we so often use to urge people to go to church, the writer of Hebrews says:  “ Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)  Earlier he had told his readers, “Encourage one another daily.”  Why daily?  Because the things that might discourage us can come on us any time, without warning. 

The church can be a place of encouragement, not only as each member takes seriously the call to be an encourager, but by safeguarding the foundation of our encouragement.

Paul told Timothy to, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.”  Paul reminds us that the faithful opening up of God’s Word, whether from the pulpit, in a discussion group, in a Sunday school class, or in the literature we promote, gives us access to the encouraging promises of God.

Early Easter morning in 1932, a pastor was getting ready for church.  He was shaving and listening to the radio.  The speaker on the radio was a minister who had embraced the more radical aspects of liberalism.  After bringing his Easter greetings, he told his listeners he wasn’t concerned about the facts of the resurrection story.  He said that even if Jesus’ body had crumbled to dust, his inspiring message lived on.  It didn’t matter if Jesus actually rose from the grave.

“That’s a lie,” the pastor shouted at the radio so loudly his wife who was in another part of the house heard him.  After he explained what had upset him, she said, “Well, why don’t you do something about it.”

So, later that evening, Alfred Ackley wrote the words we often sing at Easter:

“I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;

I know that he is living, whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him He’s always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!”

If we want our church to do the work of encouragement, we need to be sure we maintain sound doctrine.

In the church, every believer is called to this ministry of encouragement.  The command, “Encourage one another” was not written to just a few.  We should all be alert to times when we may say the encouraging word to that man or woman facing trial.

Conclusion

Job’s comforters were no comfort at all.  But you can comfort and encourage those facing tough times.

That’s good for Christians to know.  In the aftermath of the tragedy, even while the floodwaters are still swirling around, we are to put on our boots and wade out to try to help.  With God’s help we can do just that.