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“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
Romans 12:15

Sometimes we think ministry requires having the right words.

Someone is hurting, and we feel that we need to say something profound. Someone has suffered a loss, and we search for the perfect words of comfort. Someone is going through a difficult trial, and we want to explain why everything will eventually be all right.

But sometimes the greatest ministry we can give someone is much simpler.

Just be there.

Romans 12:15 says:

“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”

Notice what the Bible does not say.

It does not say, “Explain to them why they are weeping.”

It does not say, “Tell them what they should be feeling.”

It simply says:

“...weep with them that weep.”

There are moments when people do not need an explanation.

They need a friend.

Job experienced tremendous suffering. He lost his possessions, his children, and his health. When his three friends heard what had happened, they came to him.

The Bible says:

“So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.”
Job 2:13

For seven days, they simply sat with Job.

And during those seven days, they were probably more helpful to Job than they were during much of the conversation that followed.

There is a lesson in that.

Sometimes we talk because we are uncomfortable with silence.

We want to fix the situation. We want to provide an answer. We want to say something that will make the pain disappear.

But some pain cannot be removed with a sentence.

A widow cannot be talked out of missing her husband.

Parents cannot be talked out of grieving a child.

A family facing a frightening diagnosis cannot be comforted by a few convenient words.

A broken heart does not always need an explanation.

Sometimes it needs company.

Jesus demonstrated this beautifully when Lazarus died.

When He arrived at Bethany, Martha and Mary were grieving. Jesus knew Lazarus was about to walk out of the grave. He knew exactly what He was going to do.

Yet when Jesus saw Mary weeping, the Bible records two of the shortest and most powerful words in Scripture:

“Jesus wept.”
John 11:35

Jesus knew resurrection was only moments away.

Still, He entered into their sorrow.

That tells us something wonderful about our Saviour.

He cares about what hurts us.

And if we are going to minister like Christ, we must care about what hurts others.

Sometimes the ministry of being there means sitting beside someone in a hospital waiting room.

Sometimes it means attending a funeral when you do not know what to say.

Sometimes it means making a telephone call just to say, “I was thinking about you.”

Sometimes it means bringing a meal.

Sometimes it means putting your arm around someone's shoulder.

Sometimes it means listening while they tell the same story they have already told you before.

Sometimes it simply means praying with them.

You don't have to have all the answers.

In fact, it is perfectly acceptable to say, “I don't know what to say, but I want you to know that I love you and I'm here.”

That may minister more deeply than a dozen carefully constructed explanations.

Galatians 6:2 tells us:

“Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

To bear someone's burden does not necessarily mean we can remove it.

Sometimes it simply means helping them carry it.

There is another side to Romans 12:15 as well:

“Rejoice with them that do rejoice...”

Christian friendship isn't only about showing up when someone is hurting.

We should also be there when God blesses them.

Celebrate their victories.

Rejoice over their answered prayers.

Be happy when their children succeed.

Thank God when He opens a door for them.

True Christian love can both weep with another person's sorrow and rejoice in another person's blessing.

Our world is filled with lonely people.

Some are sitting in hospital rooms.

Some are grieving around kitchen tables.

Some are carrying burdens nobody else knows about.

Some may even sit beside us in church every Sunday with a smile on their face while carrying a broken heart inside.

You may not be able to solve their problem.

You may not know what to say.

That's all right.

Call them.

Visit them.

Listen to them.

Pray with them.

Sit beside them.

Just be there.

You may discover that one of the greatest ministries God ever gives you requires no pulpit, no microphone, and no special talent.

It simply requires a willing heart and your presence.