Encouragement among Men

Tonight, halfway through week seven of the most taxing quarter of my two years here, I made a list of the classwork I have to do.

It's not encouraging.

So, to the word I turn. Would you know it, in a time of need, God responds. He's led me to the book of Job lately. Tonight, I'm dwelling in and drinking in the poetic exaltation that is Job 5. I personally invite you all to read it for yourself. I'm going to give you a much-abridged thematic flow.

"Call if you will, but who will answer you? ... His children are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender ... Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before Him ... He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away ... So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds but He also binds up; He injures but He also heals ... We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself."

I love this chapter. Best of all, it's an emphasis on the need for Christian fellowship. There are few things I enjoy more than talking to my friends about what they are going through, and how the Lord is working and showing them His love in their lives. This entire chapter is Job's friend, Eliphaz encouraging him after a stint in which Job lost most of his family, livestock and health. Job describes the time in chapter 6 by saying:

"if only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas."

It's a time where he needs to know that God is with him. God brings Job this encouragement and backing voice through Eliphaz, a fellow believer.

So, the next time you think about encouraging one of your fellow men, and reconsider because it doesn't sound manly enough, think about the example set in Job by Eliphaz. Even though Job spits in his face, Eliphaz stays strong by his friend. Eliphaz has the courage, the audacity to remain loyal. He's truly a man of God, and he encourages his brothers.