Job 32:1-5
PassageThe previous 28 chapters provided the dialog between Job and his friends. Job discussed ho he was righteous and did not deserve this suffering, while his friends tried to explain why it was happening and what Job needed to do to resolve it. At this point Job’s friends have decided that they had heard enough and are ready to move on.
This started with Job’s friends coming alongside to comfort and support him, but quickly turned into opinions and accusations, providing little support. Dialog is an exchange of conversations where each party takes turns listening and speaking. The key is how they were listening.
Job’s friends were listening in order to prepare a response so they could feel superior because they had the answers. What Job needed was someone to listen to understand and provide comfort. How often do we encounter situations where we need to just listen to understand the situation someone is experiencing, and be there for comfort or instead do we jump in and provide our opinion, whether it helps or hurts. The book of Job tells us a lot about listening skills and their impact. Let’s learn from it to help build relationships that follow our Savior’s example.