September 6, 2023

“If only you would shut up and let that be your wisdom!” – Job 13:5

Each year when I read through my Bible I come to a passage that makes me laugh out loud almost every time. But before you can understand why it is so funny, you must understand the context. Job is a very wealthy and very righteous man in the Bible. But despite his righteousness, at one point in his life he loses everything. All that is left are some “friends” who give him terrible counsel by basically telling him that if he had only been a better person, none of this would have happened. After listening to this for several chapters, Job is finally so fed up he says, “If only you would shut up and let that be your wisdom!” They think they know it all when, in fact, their perspective on Job and his life is completely wrong. They would have shown a lot more wisdom if they had just kept their mouths shut!

We, unfortunately, can sometimes make that same mistake. We think of “wisdom” as always having the right things to say. However, a wise person also knows when to say nothing. Don’t get me wrong, you still need to be a friend and you still need to be there for people. But many times, your presence is needed much more than your words; especially in those situations where you really don’t understand what is happening or why. Saying nothing is sometimes much wiser than speaking about things you don’t understand. Sometimes people just need you there a lot more than they need you to speak.

Wise and Loving Heavenly Father, help us to always speak your truth when we open our mouths. And give us the wisdom to know when a loving presence is better than words.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon