Jeremiah was a prophet...
Illustration
Jeremiah was a prophet who acknowledged that the source of his eloquence was God. He felt inadequate as a public speaker. But God promised to give him the words he needed to be an effective prophet. He probably was successful as long as he was humble and obedient. His secret was in being aware of his own inadequacy and being willing to trust God. He found that, when he listened carefully, the right words came. When he forgot to listen, the words that came out reflected his prejudices and feeble human understanding. Someone said, "Every group of people consists of yes butters, not nowers, and why notters."
The first two categories are excuse-makers and obstructionists. The third category of person is ready and willing to dream and dare --to see visions of what can be --and be ready to set out on a noble quest for fulfilling that vision.
Jeremiah was such a man. He was a why-notter. That is why God was able to put words in the prophet's mouth!
