Minimalist Bible: The Story of Job – Discussion with Friends

Written by Chad -

God has given me the idea to pursue a personal design project of creating minimalist posters to share the awesome stories of the Bible. If you missed out on previous posters, don't worry, I have created a landing page where you can easily catch up. Check it out here.

This poster series comes from the book of Job. It is a story beginning with hardship, frustration and hurt, with an ending of redemption and forgiveness. I'm excited today to reveal The Story of Job: Discussion with Friends, part four of a six part series.

The Story of Job: Discussion with Friends begins in Job 2:11-13 (NLT) which says, "When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words."

You can read the rest of the conversation between Job and his three friends in Job 3-37 (NLT).

The Power of a Friendship 
Do you have a best friend? I'm talking about a friend who will rescue you from a bear attack even though he/she has a broken leg, not just a friend who watches movies about it. A best friend is hard to come by nowadays with social media and the hurried pace of life we live in. Today we can have hundreds to thousands of "friends" that we can interact with on a regular basis, but what about the best friend who would literally do anything for you? A friend who is always there for you when you need it most?

Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) says "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." This life is meant to be lived with others. God has created us to be a part of a community where we can unload our hardships and receive grace, love and mercy from others.  

In Galatians 6:2-3 (NLT) it is written, "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important."

What Paul is writing to the Church in Galatia is that we can't do life alone. We need friends to high-five us when we are successful and to help us up from our lowest points. Job had hit his lowest point. He had lost everything and was in a deep depression. His friends found out about the situation and traveled miles to come support him. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar met Job at his level by tearing their clothes, waling loudly and throwing dirt everywhere. They wanted to sympathize with Job through respect, love and grace. The best part was that they came to just BE with Job. 

Real friendship goes beyond talking about the weather, "liking" an online post or venting about work. True friendship is leaning on each other through life, talking about the tough things without being judged and receiving grace when mistakes are made. And it's always a two-way street. You can't expect that attention and grace unless you're also actively giving it out. 

If you're feeling alone in this life, I challenge you to refresh your friendships. Dig deeper. Don't let another day go by without calling up that person you used to spend so much time with. If your friends don't build you up or encourage you, it's probably time to make some new friends. You never know when low points in life will sneak up on you (much like they did for Job), and it will mean the world to you to have real friends, physically at your side helping you through. Maybe you're experiencing high points in life right now—great! Then look around and find someone close to you who is in a low point and start building them back up. They'll be sure to return the favor.