00:00number 45. know when to be silent
00:05Ecclesiastes 3 verse 7. there's a time
00:13there are times when saying nothing is
00:17do not be driven by I have to
00:20is it really necessary is it always
00:23you know do you really have to answer
00:26every tweet and every email within three
00:30minutes do you have to stop life to is
00:36job's friends show True friendship when
00:39they first came to see him in his
00:41distress and they sat with him in
00:43silence we read in job 2 verses 11 to 13
00:46the following when three of his friends
00:49heard of the tragedy he had suffered
00:51they got together and traveled from
00:52their homes to comfort and console him
00:54their names were elephants the teminite
00:57build out the shoe height and zofer the
01:00when they saw job from a distance they
01:02scarcely recognized him wailing loudly
01:05they tore their robes and threw dust
01:07into the air over their heads to show
01:09their grief then they sat on the ground
01:11with him for seven days and nights no
01:13one said a word to job
01:15for they saw that he was suffering and
01:18was too great for words
01:22sometimes there are situations where
01:25the the suffering is too great for words
01:29and as long as they were quiet they were
01:34when they started speaking
01:36everything started going south it was no
01:40their identification with this saw was
01:43the best communication their silence had
01:45been the best communication
01:48a number of years back
01:50we were living in another continent
01:53we had some dear friends who
01:56the husband suffered a major medical
02:00problem and had to be rushed to the
02:03hospital under intense surgery
02:07over the next week or two my wife and I
02:10stayed with the wife visited the
02:12hospital helped with the children and
02:15did everything we could to help their
02:22many people sent cards and made phone
02:26calls and at first they were like we're
02:29so sorry we're praying for you but as
02:31time went on they started saying why do
02:33you think he got sick like this did he
02:37uh are you disobeying God are you you
02:41know where have you let down your shield
02:43and they would come and and try to
02:47figure out why he got sick
02:49friends we don't always know why we get
02:51sick or why certain things happen to us
02:53that's the story of Joe but
02:57my dear friend the wife of of my friend
03:01who was in the hospital had just
03:03received a call and someone had was
03:05blaming her for her husband's illness
03:10trying to be helpful I think that person
03:14was in their own mind but she she came
03:16off the phone and she was crying and she
03:18was saying came to me and said David I
03:21just want to thank you
03:23all these people trying to give their
03:24wisdom trying to explain why why my
03:28husband is sick but you you have been
03:31such a good friend you're a friend with
03:36because I'd not try to solve the problem
03:38I was just there my wife was just there
03:43we weren't trying to explain things and
03:45teach things or sort things out
03:49that's not always what we're supposed to
03:55being caring that's enough
03:58so don't always talk