Recently I shared a message on the above theme. Here are the message notes for your consideration. First we need to
BE PRESENT
Job’s friends did something right, as we read about in Job 2:13. “No one said a word to him because they saw how great his suffering was.” Then they opened their mouths and messed up.
Next, we are to
LISTEN
Jesus models listening to the stories/narratives/burdens of others. In Mark 5, many people are pressing around Him but he feels the injured woman’s touch and power flows from Him. In Mark 5:33 we read that Jesus “She told Jesus the whole truth.” His full attention was on her as she told Him her story.
Remember to
CARE AND BEAR—BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS
Galatians 6:2 exhorts us to “bear one another’s burdens.”
We are to
ENCOURAGE
as 1 Thessalonians 5:11 calls us to: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
And then, turn it around and encourage the hurting person to
PARTICIPATE
In church, small groups, etc.
Sometimes the person in need does not feel much like God-talk or seeking God. But there is always
THE GOD FACTOR,
even if God is working in the background and not worrying about the credit. That is the case in the book of Esther. The name God is not found but strong evidence of His working is to be found. See Esther 4:14.
On the importance of meditating on the Bible, look up Joshua 1:8. Then, when it comes to praise, thanksgiving, “working your worries into prayer” (The Message Bible), and what we are to think about, see Philippians 4:4-8
Be sure to
PAY IT FORWARD!
When the time comes, start practicing all of the above!