We’ve all spoken without thinking. As the saying goes, more than once I’ve opened my mouth and inserted my foot. Job’s friends proved pretty good at this as well.

I like Job’s response to their commentary: If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom.

Silence = Wisdom.

I find this to be true. I’m better off listening before speaking, and sometimes listening and not speaking at all. When people are in pain, like Job, advice falls flat. Timing matters, and frequently I’m not ready to hear opinions even if offered in good faith. Presence, with silence, makes for better consolation.

For seven days and seven nights Job’s friends sat with him in silence. They watched him suffer and stayed by his side. Their presence helped. Then, they started to speak, which annoyed Job to no end.

Words kill, word give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose (Proverbs 18:21 in The Message).

I choose how and when I use my words. Often the best choice is not to use them at all.

Job 13 in week fifty-one of reading the Bible cover to cover

Job and His Friends (1869) by Ilya Repin