Pious platitudes? They mean nothing. At the funeral home: “Don’t cry, it will be all right” or “we know they have gone to a better place” or “God doesn’t want us to ask questions like that.” At the hospital: “We are praying for you; everything will be fine” or “if you just have enough faith, you will soon be well.” At the courthouse: “God will never give you more than you are able to bear.”
Platitudes sound good but there is no substance. People in difficult situations need truth to help their attitude change, not empty platitudes.
What suffering does to us depends on what we choose to do with it or let it do to us. As contradictory as it might sound, God wants us to rejoice in the midst of our tribulations and even thank Him for his presence with us in these tough times.
This was the attitude adopted by the Apostle Paul when he was singing at midnight in a Philippian prison. (Acts 16:25ff) His attitude got him safely through a tough situation. My Christian attitude in times of stress is founded on solid truths from God’s Word. “Because Jesus himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)
Remember also, “Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
When someone is under pressure, don’t give them a pair of rose-tinted glasses that will further distort their world view. The Lord delights in mending broken hearts. The Lord delights in breaking the chains that bind us. Luke 4:18ff records the self-introductory statement Jesus made when he began his ministry in Nazareth. There is not a platitude in it, just possibilities for you.
“God of all Reality, equip me to deal with the world through the
truth that You have revealed to us. Save us from empty words. Amen”
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