Just Be There - A 15 Minute Devotional

INTRODUCTION (2 minutes)

This past week I’ve been deep in the trenches working on my Master’s assessment, and the central theme has been Christian Ethics. It’s had me thinking more deeply than ever about what it means to live rightly as a Christian, not just in our beliefs but in our everyday interactions.

And here’s the realization I keep coming back to: Christian ethics isn’t about having all the answers or fixing everyone’s problems. It’s about presence. It’s about showing up. Being reliable. Loving people in their grief, confusion, and pain.

We see in Proverbs 17:17:

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

That’s not about fixing. That’s about being there. So today, I want us to explore three stories from Scripture where someone made a choice to be present, not distant.

Let me ask you something as we begin:

When someone you care about is going through something hard, what’s your first instinct? Is it to try to fix it? Give advice? Avoid the mess?

BIG IDEA

Today’s big idea is this:

Being present is part of how God loves us, and it’s something we’re called to do for others.

STORY 1: Jesus and the Grieving Sisters (John 11:17-35) (3 minutes)

Let’s open to John 11:17-35

John 11:17–35 NASB95

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.

Here, Jesus shows up after Lazarus has been dead for four days. The funeral is over. The house is filled with mourners. Everyone is weeping.

Now, Jesus knows what’s about to happen. He knows He’s going to raise Lazarus from the dead. And yet, when He sees Mary and Martha crying, He doesn’t rush to the miracle.

Instead, He weeps with them.

He chooses to share in their grief. That moment always strikes me. Because if anyone had the right to skip the tears and get to the good part, it was Jesus.

But He doesn’t. He enters into their pain.

Romans 12:15 echoes this beautifully:

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

Questions for Reflection:

What does this teach us about love and presence?

Why would Jesus cry if He knew Lazarus would live?

What kind of friend does this show Jesus to be?

How hard is it for you to sit with someone in pain without trying to fix it?

This moment reminds us: Presence is powerful. Jesus gives us permission to stop rushing and simply be with people.

STORY 2: Job’s Friends... at First (Job 2:11-13) (3 minutes)

Now let’s flip over to Job 2:11-13.

Job 2:11–13 NASB95

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

Job’s story is filled with tragedy. His friends show up, and for seven days, they sit on the ground with him in silence. That’s it. No advice. No scripture references. Just presence.

And during that week, they are doing exactly what good friends do. But then... they open their mouths. And it all goes sideways. They try to explain his suffering. Justify it. Fix it. And it makes everything worse.

Honestly, I’ve seen this happen in real life. I remember in high school, a friend lost her brother. The grief was raw. But within a few weeks, someone told her, “You need to get over it. You can’t bring him back.” They thought they were helping. But it cut deep.

Galatians 6:2 reminds us:

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Carrying a burden doesn’t always mean giving advice. Sometimes it means sitting on the ground in silence for seven days.

Questions for Reflection:

When were Job’s friends doing the right thing?

What changed when they started talking?

What does this show us about the dangers of rushing to fix grief?

Presence says: "I see you. I don’t have to fix you. But I’m not leaving."

STORY 3: Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17) (3 minutes)

Now open to Ruth 1:16-17.

Ruth 1:16–17 NASB95

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”

Naomi has lost her husband and both sons. She tells her daughters-in-law to go back to their homes, to try and start over.

Orpah leaves. But Ruth? Ruth says no. She says:

“Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. Your God, my God.”

Ruth chooses presence over comfort. Loyalty over logic. She has no reason to stay. But she does.

Philippians 2:4 captures Ruth’s heart:

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Questions for Reflection:

What kind of courage does it take to stay with someone in hard times?

Why might Ruth’s decision have seemed unreasonable?

How does Ruth inspire us to love better?

Ruth didn’t need the right words. She just showed up. And her presence changed Naomi’s life.

THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS (2 minutes)

Let’s look again at the example of Jesus.

He didn’t stay far off. He didn’t love us from a safe distance.

He entered in. Into the mess. The pain. The world.

Isaiah 43:2 says:

Isaiah 43:2 NASB95

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

Jesus emptied Himself and walked with us. And when we follow Him, we are called to do the same.

We are not called to be fixers. We are called to be faithful friends.

CHALLENGE THIS WEEK (2 minutes)

This week, take the challenge to be present:

Sit with someone who eats alone.

Visit or message someone going through something tough.

Listen to someone without interrupting or offering advice.

Pray intentionally for someone who is hurting.

Ask yourself each day: Who needs my presence right now?

CLOSING PRAYER

Jesus, Thank You for entering our world, for walking through pain and grief to meet us. Help us to be present in the lives of others. Teach us to sit, to listen, to love without fixing. Make us more like You. Amen.