Observation: Eliphaz, a friend of Job, is sitting with him after he has lost everything. He repeats advice that he has lived by, that apparently has served him well: just be good, do the right thing, and God will protect you from all harm. The problem is that Job has done the right thing all his life, yet tragedy has still struck.
Application: When someone is grieving, theological explanations and advice are the last thing they need. And even when the time comes for those conversations (they should be initiated by the person in grief--if they don't ask your advice, don't give it!) our own experience is not the be-all and end-all. Not everything that has helped us will be helpful to others. Just because it's biblical doesn't necessarily make it useful for the particular situation someone else is facing.
Prayer: God, grant that I may not so much see to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. Amen. (excerpt from Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi).
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