The turning of our own captivity often comes when we set our hearts to pray for our friends. You have brought this brother before the throne of grace, and that is a blessed work, for it is written, "The Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends." Not while he contended, nor when he sat in silence among the ashes, but when he interceded for those who had spoken harshly to him. God has put high in the mountains of His promise springs of love; it is yours to bring them down by the divine channel of your intense supplications. Continue in this labor, for it is sweet in the sight of the Lord.
Yet you must also trust the Almighty with the outcome. Remember that in all his calamities, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. Before that temptation he did not fall. To say, "It is the Lord, let Him do what seems good to Him," is a grace more precious than gold. We are apt to judge the Lord by feeble sense instead of trusting Him for His divine grace. This comes of evil. If the case is to be heard as "Jehovah versus us," then we must yield the point unreservedly. We are wrong; God must be right. He who appoints the house appointed for all living also determines the habitation of our earthly pilgrimage.
Speak, then, to your friend not only of the interview before men, but of submission before the face of his Maker. Job in his anguish said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." That is the ultimatum of faith, to cling to a slaying God. If he can, by grace, reach that place, every anxiety about a salary or a position will lose its sting. The Lord may indeed grant this employment, and your prayer is heard for that purpose. But if the door remains shut, it is that another and better portal should open, even as Job’s latter end was so greatly increased. The glory that was fresh in him returned with double portion.
Do not let this trial become an occasion for despair or unbelieving speeches. Many sin by these. The whisper comes that God has forgotten, but it is a lie from the pit. Instead, let your friend, as a son or daughter of the Lord God Almighty, feel the family bond that silences all mistrust. You shall all feast upon the children’s meat and be partakers of all the privileges of the household. Be natural, be yourself, be at rest in the Father’s will. The way into His heart has been revealed in the wounds of Christ; come boldly, then, and find grace to help in this time of need.