What happens when well-meaning advice becomes another layer of trauma? Michael Rowntree unpacks the book of Job to reveal how our responses to suffering people can either deepen their pain or become a pathway to healing—and why the hardest lesson might be learning when to simply sit in silence.
Drawing from biblical wisdom and modern trauma therapy principles, this episode explores the dangerous beliefs that blame victims for their suffering, the common Christian platitudes that intensify pain rather than heal it, and the revolutionary practice of presence over advice. You'll discover why seven days of silence proved more helpful than lengthy speeches, how to make space for extreme emotions without condemnation, and why accepting mystery is sometimes the most honest response to suffering.
Whether you're a pastor, counselor, friend, or simply someone who wants to minister compassion effectively, this teaching will transform how you approach hurting people. Michael challenges prosperity gospel thinking and retribution theology while offering a tender, Christ-centered alternative rooted in wisdom about how God's people should bear one another's burdens.
The ministry of presence. The freedom to lament. Honoring complexity. These aren't just counseling techniques—they're reflections of how Jesus himself approached the broken and bruised. This is trauma-informed care as God designed it.
0:00 – Introduction
2:00 – Don't Try to Explain Their Suffering
4:02 – Don't Blame Victims
7:16 – Be Slow to Advise
9:20 – Offer the Ministry of Presence
10:49 – Make Space for Lament
13:42 – Honor the Complexity of Pain
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