We suspect that stuttering may have been the case in Exodus 4:10-12, when Moses said unto the LORD, “O my Lord, I [am] not eloquent… I [am] slow of speech; and of a slow tongue”….And the LORD said unto him….Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shall say”. Moses was inexperienced and uncertain about how he could serve God, but this was a “teachable moment” – important preparation for serving God.
While not specific to stuttering, the scriptures abound with references about how our speech affects both our physical and spiritual experiences-
- “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh”. (Matthew 12:34)
- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6)
- "In many things we are all faulty. If any one does not err in word, he is a perfect man, able to control the whole body." (James 3:2)
- "Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile [deceit]" (Psa 34:13)
- "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles." (Proverbs 21:23)
- "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious words: but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is mischievous madness." (Ecclesiastes 10:12)
- "He that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction."(Proverbs 13:3)
- "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few."- (Ecclesiastes 5:2)
The scriptures imply that our conscious minds have the responsibility of controlling our speech and decorum. Science explains stuttering as a clinical speech disorder with prolongations of speech sounds, syllables or words, frequent repetitions, or the inability to start a word. Stuttering might be developmental, neurogenic, psychogenic, or even genetic. It can be successfully treated with speech-language therapy and education.
There is no evidence that any demonic influences are responsible.