In normal interactions, it’s unusual to see any word repeated multiple times in succession, but there’s one example that’s familiar to most of us. When we see the noun, “location,” repeated three times, we can be pretty certain it’s related to that clichéd response about the three most important things to consider when thinking about a real estate investment: “Location,
Location, Location.” But as all of us have discovered in one way or another, real estate isn’t the only realm where the location of a potential asset can have tremendous influence over its value or current benefit.
Not Hard to Understand ~
There are lots of examples, of course. For instance, if you happen to have an emergency while you’re out and about and need to call 911, that phone you left in your other jacket can’t help. Or if you need a particular tool to do an urgent and important task but can’t find it, just knowing where it should be only adds to the frustration. Illustrations like these highlight a simple, easily understood principle that most of us have encountered in some way in our own experience. We’ve learned that in many cases, it’s not just the existence of an asset that determines its impact and/or its practical value. Sometimes, simply where it’s located when it’s needed can make all the difference.
With that in mind, God said something unusual to Jeremiah when He called him and it’s worth a second look. After being told that the living God had chosen and ordained him as a prophet before he was ever born, Jeremiah began to complain that he was a youth; i.e., not a child, but too young to bear that kind of responsibility. But then, God interrupted him like this:
Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. (Jeremiah 1:9 NKJV)
Noticing an Unexpected Detail ~
I had never really noticed that statement, but it arrested my attention recently in a way I hadn’t anticipated. God didn’t just tell Jeremiah that He was giving him His words or that He was going to make His words available to him. God sovereignly declared precisely 
where He had decided to put them. He said, “I have put My words in your mouth.” I never really pondered the placement of God’s words in the context of human anatomy other than the familiar admonition to store God’s words in our heart, or our mind. What God said to Jeremiah seemed distinctively different to me. After all, keeping His words in my mind and relating to them emotionally in my heart is reasonable, and God’s people have always done that. But I can’t store Scripture verses in my molars or tuck them away under my tongue, so what’s God up to here?
My first thought was that maybe I’m being a bit too literal. Obviously, this declaration to Jeremiah has metaphorical qualities, but at least two things in this exchange were nonetheless very real. God’s words were, and are, always real, and so was Jeremiah’s mouth. As Jesus often did, maybe God was blending reality and metaphor in order to tell us something about how the strategic positioning of His words can affect their impact and effectiveness.
Not an Easy Assignment ~
God was about to send His young prophet to confront a people who, at that time, had grown increasingly disobedient and rebellious. Israel had once again begun to join their pagan neighbors in worshiping their idols and participating in the debauchery they practiced. God’s eternal truth was desperately needed in order to counteract the demonic deception permeating the land – and Jeremiah’s mouth was going to be a vital source for dispensing it.
It may seem like a stretch to think about something immaterial like words in the context of physical human anatomy, but I’m convinced that there’s a lesson. In contemplating this peculiar concept, it occurred to me that I had been in situations more than once when God’s words needed to be heard, but they never made it to my mouth. I may have had them in my heart or stored up in my mind, or maybe they were just written down in a Bible back at home. But wherever else God’s authoritative words might have been, they weren’t in my mouth and any impact they might have had was never felt.
Mouths Are Fascinating! ~
Another realization I never contemplated was that our mouths have some fascinating functions. Mouths are ‘pass-through’ places. With the exception of dental implants and things like that, nothing goes into our mouth to stay. Things like food, water, and medicine
can pass through it to nourish us, promote healing, and ensure our physical welfare. Air can go either way. Toward the inside, it oxygenates our blood, and in the other direction, it expels carbon dioxide. All that is understandable, but what about something like words, and in particular, those that come from God Himself? In a nutshell, here are some things I think God wants us to see:
-
- God didn’t put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth to just hang around and chew on like those caramel candy sticks we used to call “all-day suckers.” His Words are living and always intended to go somewhere.
- The words in Jeremiah’s mouth came directly from God and were thus eternally and unchangeably authoritative. That authority was always absolutely God’s – never Jeremiah’s.
- Just as the authority belonged to God, so did the glory. Praise for positive reactions and beneficial outcomes were never to be credited to Jeremiah. If judgments were harsh and the outcomes were painful, the prophet was not at fault. So, there was no basis for boasting – or reason for whining.
- Like the prophet himself, the words he delivered, and the reactions that followed belonged to God alone. Thus, he could proclaim them with confidence and courage even in threatening situations.
- The words God put in Jeremiah’s mouth weren’t meant just for others. Some were intended to go inward to nourish him, to heal him, to strengthen him, to admonish him, to encourage him, and to sustain him at times when nothing else could.
- Those going outward were sent in an effort to deliver God’s people. Sometimes God’s words were meant to confront the enemy’s lies and enlighten those who were deceived. Others warned the disobedient about impending consequences for their sins and called them to repentance. Still others were meant to reveal that God is merciful and ready to forgive those willing to turn back to Him.
The underlying lesson for us, I think, is that Jeremiah isn’t the only one into whose mouth 
God wants to put His words. Every follower of Jesus is equipped to receive that same incredible benefit. Jesus promises to take up residence in the very bodies of all those who turn from their sins and receive Him as Savior. Followers of Jesus willingly open their hearts to love Him. They open their minds to be renewed by Him, and open their souls to accommodate His presence. And if that includes you, today’s challenge is to ask …
-
- What’s going on in your mouth?
- Whose words tend to dominate the verbal traffic passing through that orifice?
- Are words that convey toxic filth and moral pollution going in and out of your mouth, or
- Are words passing through there that have the power to heal, to redeem, to restore, to enlighten, and to encourage?
We Have a Tough Assignment, too ~
Like Jeremiah, we also find ourselves at a crucial time in the history of our nation and the world. We’re surrounded by people worshipping false gods and promoting every kind of debauchery imaginable. And like Israel in his day, anarchy is rampant, and the murky moral darkness that attends the unrestrained pursuit of sensual pleasure prevails everywhere. And like that young prophet, we also have a mouth God wants to use.
It’s not enough to simply have His words lying dormant in a book, digitized in an app on our phones, or even randomly memorized in our minds. God wants to move His words 
into that ‘pass through’ place in our anatomy. When words that bear God’s omnipotent authority move freely into and out of our mouths, amazing things begin to happen. When a human mouth delivers words that come from God Himself, the power to illuminate the darkness, deliver the oppressed, empower the weak, encourage the hopeless, comfort the broken hearted, heal the wounded, feed the hungry, and bring orphans into families goes with it.
So, it’s time for an oral exam. The question is this … Whose words have dominion in our mouths these days – and, is the Word of God positioned in us where its power to change the world is most effectively delivered?
“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below. Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .
-
- God didn’t just tell Jeremiah that He was giving him His words or that He was going to make His words available to him. God sovereignly declared precisely ‘where’ He had decided to put them. He said, “I have put My words in your mouth.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- The words God put in Jeremiah’s mouth were not just meant for others. Some were intended to go inward – to nourish him, heal him, strengthen him, admonish him, encourage him, and sustain him at times when nothing else could. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- Jeremiah isn’t the only one into whose mouth God wants to put His words. Every follower of Jesus is equipped to receive that same incredible benefit as He takes up residence in the very bodies of all who turn from their sins and receive Him as Savior. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- Followers of Jesus willingly open their hearts to love Him. They open their minds to be renewed by Him, and open their souls to accommodate His presence. And if that includes you, today’s challenge is to ask, “What’s going on in ‘your’ mouth?” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
To follow this blog for more “Right Side Up Thinking ~ In an Upside Down World” …
Sign up just below the Search box in the upper right sidebar for regular email notifications of new posts.
And to “Share Your Thoughts,” continue to scroll down …
Check out Ron’s book, “Right Side Up Thinking in an Upside Down World ~ Looking at the World through the Lens of Biblical Truth” 
Gallagher's Pen ~ 