Job lost everything. It’s hard to imagine losing one child. But Job lost all ten of his children at once. He lost all of his thousands of sheep, camels, and servants. He lost 500 yoke of oxen and 500 female donkeys. He lost his health and his wife told him to curse God and die. It’s impossible to imagine the magnitude of that loss and trauma. His friends made an appointment to see him, knowing that he was distraught. They came to comfort him.
Job reads, “And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great” (Job 2:12-13). This is the ministry of presence–simply being present for people who are suffering. We all know the story and that they began to lecture and criticize Job.
The ministry of presence is a gift that God gives us. Jesus himself did it reapeatedly. When Mary and Martha’s brother died, Jesus was with Mary. “When Jesus saw her weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (John 11:33). When he asked where they laid Lazarus, Jesus wept. This act of compassion and Jesus’ ministry of presence brought healing to Mary and Martha. This is a ministry that should never be overlooked.