"What should I say?"
Have you ever wondered that?
You're in a situation where someone is in need. Maybe they need to be encouraged. Maybe they need to be rebuked. And you're just not sure if you can come up with the right words.
What can you do?
Simple, give them the Bible.
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Jeremiah 23:28-29 - "Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD. 29 Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"
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The Bible gets the job done every time. It always works.
Jeremiah is dealing with this in his day. There were false prophets who thought their words were more effective than God's and so instead of giving the people Scripture, they gave the people their own words.
But their words are just dreams and straw. Unreal. Worthless.
How silly for prophets or pastors to give the people stories and tales from their own hearts instead of feeding the people the real and effective word of God.
God's word is a fire, able to burn away our sin and reform God's people. It is a hammer able to break apart our hard hearts.
So the next time you don't know what to say, don't just say something. Don't just tell them the first thought that comes into your head. Or the second. Or the third.
To give them your ideas would be like telling them to trust in a dream you had. Instead of the bread of life, you'd be trying to feed them worthless straw.
Get in the Bible and look for an answer. Trust that God's word will be exactly what they need to hear. A slow, but correct answer is better than a quick, but wrong one.
Do you have confidence in the word of God? Do you trust it? Do you believe its power?
Or do you think the Bible needs a little help? Like those false prophets, do you think that your ideas, your "dreams", will do more good than God's sure and certain word?
God's word is a purifying fire, cleansing us from our sin. His word is a reforming hammer, sculpting his people, breaking them that they might be remade.
May we be a people who have more faith in God's word than in our own.
God's word is always better than yours.