"I must have a Bible of my own! I must have one, if I have to save up for it for ten years!"
"The year was 1794. For as long as she could remember, little Mary Jones had yearned to hold a Bible in her hands so that she might read it for her herself. For years, she had sat at night on her weaver father's lap and listened to him tell stories of Abraham, Joseph, David, and Daniel. But her family was far too poor to afford a Bible, even if one had been available, for Bibles could scarcely be found in all of Wales during those days.
Two years earlier, Mrs. Evans, the wife of a nearby farmer, having learned of Mary's longing to read the Bible, had promised the child that when she learned to read, she could come to their house and read their Bible. As soon as the first school opened in a neighboring village, Mary had eagerly set about Learning to read.
Now, the ten-year-old girl had just walked two miles from North Wales village to Llanfihangel to the Evanses' farm. The distance was no object to the eager child:"I'd walk farther than that for such a pleasure, ma'am!" she said to Mrs Evans.
When once Mary finally was left alone in the room with the Bible, she reverently lifted off the white napkin that covered and protected the cherished book. Then, with trembling hands, she opened the book to the fifth chapter of John where her eyes lit on the words "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life:and they are they which testify of me." Confident that God had spoken to her directly, she earnestly vowed to search HIs Word with all her heart.
Every Sat from that point forward she made the journey to the Evanses' farm, where she read, studied, and memorized entire chapters from the borrowed Bible. All the time, however, her heart ached, so great was her yearning to have a Bible of her own. She purposed that she must have a Bible, at any cost.
For the next six years, in addition to her studies at school and the many chores to be tended to at home, Mary used every available moment to do odd jobs for friends and neighbors. Every penny she earned was carefully laid aside, until at long last she saved enough money to buy a Bible of her own.
When she learned that the closest place a Bible could be purchased was 25 miles away, there was no question what she must do. With hope in her heart, she started out early one morning, walking barefoot so as not to ruin her one pair of shoes. Before she reached her destination, her feet were blistered and cut from the stones in the road.
Physically weary, but barely able to contain her excitement that her lifelong goal should be so nearly realized, Mary finally arrived in Balam where she poured out her story to the minister, Mr Charles. When she finished, Mr Charles reluctantly informed her that the last of the Bibles available for sale had already been sold and that the handful of remaining ones had been promised to others. Furthermore, the Society that had printed the small quantity of Welsh Bibles did not intend to print anymore.
So great was Mary's disappointment that she began to sob uncontrollably. Touched by the intensity of her passion to have a Bible of her own, Mr Charles decided that she must have one of the few Bibles left in his possession. Words cannot describe the ecstasy that Mary felt as Mr Charles placed into her hands the precious treasure for which she had prayed, wept, and hoarded all these years. Her heart sang as she walked the 25 miles back home, carrying her very own Bible, the book that would remain her dearest friend and companion throughout her life."
I read this story this morning from Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book "A Place of Quiet Rest" and it so pricked my heart! Wow what an example of how precious the Word of God should be to me. I don't know about you but I have tons of Bibles in my house. Many days I can't get my lazy tail out of bed to walk to the den to read it, let alone walking two miles!! Do we really realize what a gift we hold in our possession? That the God of the universe speaks to us!!! And He is willing to meet with us any day, any time, any where? ALL we have to do is open His word and He will meet us!
My next few posts are going to be on one of my most passionate subjects, spending time with the Lord. Devotions are such an important part of the life of a believer. We just can't get by without spending time communing with our Savior. He is our best friend!
I hope the posts minister to you and encourage you in your walk with the Lord. If you are an unbeliever and read this blog, may your heart be stirred afresh as to why you were created and Who you were created for!
"The year was 1794. For as long as she could remember, little Mary Jones had yearned to hold a Bible in her hands so that she might read it for her herself. For years, she had sat at night on her weaver father's lap and listened to him tell stories of Abraham, Joseph, David, and Daniel. But her family was far too poor to afford a Bible, even if one had been available, for Bibles could scarcely be found in all of Wales during those days.
Two years earlier, Mrs. Evans, the wife of a nearby farmer, having learned of Mary's longing to read the Bible, had promised the child that when she learned to read, she could come to their house and read their Bible. As soon as the first school opened in a neighboring village, Mary had eagerly set about Learning to read.
Now, the ten-year-old girl had just walked two miles from North Wales village to Llanfihangel to the Evanses' farm. The distance was no object to the eager child:"I'd walk farther than that for such a pleasure, ma'am!" she said to Mrs Evans.
When once Mary finally was left alone in the room with the Bible, she reverently lifted off the white napkin that covered and protected the cherished book. Then, with trembling hands, she opened the book to the fifth chapter of John where her eyes lit on the words "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life:and they are they which testify of me." Confident that God had spoken to her directly, she earnestly vowed to search HIs Word with all her heart.
Every Sat from that point forward she made the journey to the Evanses' farm, where she read, studied, and memorized entire chapters from the borrowed Bible. All the time, however, her heart ached, so great was her yearning to have a Bible of her own. She purposed that she must have a Bible, at any cost.
For the next six years, in addition to her studies at school and the many chores to be tended to at home, Mary used every available moment to do odd jobs for friends and neighbors. Every penny she earned was carefully laid aside, until at long last she saved enough money to buy a Bible of her own.
When she learned that the closest place a Bible could be purchased was 25 miles away, there was no question what she must do. With hope in her heart, she started out early one morning, walking barefoot so as not to ruin her one pair of shoes. Before she reached her destination, her feet were blistered and cut from the stones in the road.
Physically weary, but barely able to contain her excitement that her lifelong goal should be so nearly realized, Mary finally arrived in Balam where she poured out her story to the minister, Mr Charles. When she finished, Mr Charles reluctantly informed her that the last of the Bibles available for sale had already been sold and that the handful of remaining ones had been promised to others. Furthermore, the Society that had printed the small quantity of Welsh Bibles did not intend to print anymore.
So great was Mary's disappointment that she began to sob uncontrollably. Touched by the intensity of her passion to have a Bible of her own, Mr Charles decided that she must have one of the few Bibles left in his possession. Words cannot describe the ecstasy that Mary felt as Mr Charles placed into her hands the precious treasure for which she had prayed, wept, and hoarded all these years. Her heart sang as she walked the 25 miles back home, carrying her very own Bible, the book that would remain her dearest friend and companion throughout her life."
I read this story this morning from Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book "A Place of Quiet Rest" and it so pricked my heart! Wow what an example of how precious the Word of God should be to me. I don't know about you but I have tons of Bibles in my house. Many days I can't get my lazy tail out of bed to walk to the den to read it, let alone walking two miles!! Do we really realize what a gift we hold in our possession? That the God of the universe speaks to us!!! And He is willing to meet with us any day, any time, any where? ALL we have to do is open His word and He will meet us!
My next few posts are going to be on one of my most passionate subjects, spending time with the Lord. Devotions are such an important part of the life of a believer. We just can't get by without spending time communing with our Savior. He is our best friend!
I hope the posts minister to you and encourage you in your walk with the Lord. If you are an unbeliever and read this blog, may your heart be stirred afresh as to why you were created and Who you were created for!
1 comment:
Great illustration Lindsay! The Word of God is precious and worth getting up for in the morning!
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