I read a very good blog post on Internetmonk today about the Oklahoma tornadoes. You can find it here. What struck me about the post was a quote from the Book of Job that is found toward the middle of the post:
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads. 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 2:11-13 (NRSV)
As the post points out, Job’s friends only got in trouble with God when they opened their mouths and spoke. And I found this most helpful.
I had been wondering what to write about the Oklahoma tornadoes if anything. I knew that looking at the many photographs, and listening to the news story raised an ache in my heart. And when I read that quote from the Book of Job, I realized that I did not need to say anything. I can simply sit in silence, “for they saw that his suffering was very great.” It says that, “they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads.” That I can do. That I choose to do. My silence is better than my comments, in this case.
Should you wish to donate to tornado relief, please go to the International Orthodox Christian Charities website http://www.iocc.org/news/5-21-13oklahoma-tornado.aspx and follow their links to donate.
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