You Can’t Talk People Out of Their Pain

[You Can’t Talk People Out of Their Pain]( Current Teaching Series [Talking About Stuff That Matters]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [You Can’t Talk People Out of Their Pain]( By Rick Warren — 09/30/2020 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “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.” Job 2:13 (NLT) If you’re always in a hurry, then you’re never going to be a great listener. To have great conversations, you start by looking with love at the other person, but then you must invest as much time as needed. Why? Because you can’t listen well in a hurry. Great listening takes time. Job was a wealthy man who lost virtually everything, including his money, health, and even his children. “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 . . . 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” (Job 2:11, 13 NLT). This is called the ministry of presence. When you’re ministering to someone in pain, you must remember this: The deeper the pain, the fewer words you use. If somebody’s having a bad hair day, then you can talk about it for 30 minutes. But if that person has a major crisis, talking about it for a long time is probably not going to help. A lot of people don’t know how to help someone who is in crisis. They don’t know what to say. Those same people will often stay away from a friend because they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. The truth is that you don’t need to say anything. Just show up and shut up. You can’t talk people out of their pain. Some pain is beyond words. When it’s the right time, your hurting friend will say something. When it’s the right time, then you’ll be able to say something too. This kind of investment takes time. Notice how many days Job’s friends sat on the ground with him: seven. Do you have anybody in your life who’d sit on the ground with you for seven days without saying anything? That takes a very mature person and a true friend. If you want to be that kind of friend, then you have to be willing to sacrifice so that you can give people your love, attention, and presence—as much as they need. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What can you do right now that would give you more margin to be available to your friends when they are in crisis? - Is it difficult for you to listen and not talk in a conversation? Why do you think this is so? - Why is it an investment to give someone the ministry of presence? The post [You Can’t Talk People Out of Their Pain]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. 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[LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Don't Let Anyone Steal Your Identity Message 2: Forming Healthy Friendships Message 3: Creating Life Shaping Conversations Message 4: Being a Disciple in the Digital Age Message 5: When You're Harassed and Bullied [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2020 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States