Come to the Waters

One of my mentees and I are going through the book by Madame Jeanne Guyon, Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ.

A few weeks ago I loaned her my copy which I had gone through  many times over the years but had somehow lain aside for the past two or three years.

Yesterday, I went by Mardel and they had it in stock.  It used to be hard to get--had gone out of print at one point in time, etc. etc.

So, I was able to get her a new copy and got my old copy back.

I read the first and second chapters this morning and oh my, why I ever lay that book down is a mystery to me.  It blessed my socks off.

When I read the Bible as she suggests, it ministers to me in a way that I cannot explain except to say there were tears of joy, love, remembrance and thankfulness before I had read more than one verse of the chapter I had chosen from Isaiah 55.

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost."

Think about the most thirsty you've ever been.......

Dwell on the misery for a moment--for lots of moments--imagine the day, the month, the year, the occasion--boy do I ever remember the most thirsty I've ever been in my life--

Fellowship meeting, 

unairconditioned church, 

July or August, 

no plumbing, 

there all afternoon, 

funeral fans humming, 

flies buzzing, 

children on pallets napping, 

guitars playing, 

tamborines banging, 

banjos strumming

people preaching,

solos singing,

quartets harmonizing,

duets dueling,

chug-a-lugging mason jars of water,

babies crying,

teenagers fidgeting,

grandpas snoring,

empty mason jars,

dry, parched throat,

walk in the heat to a neighboring house a ways down the gravel road to beg for water,

the cooling well water trickling down the sandpaper guzzle,

Joy unspeakable!

I came to the waters--

The author, Madame Guyon states in the first chapter:

"May I hasten to say that the kind of prayer I am speaking of is not a prayer that comes from your mind.  It begins in your heart.  It does not come from your understanding or your thoughts.   Prayer offered to the Lord from your mind simply would not be adequate.  Why?  Because your mind is very limited.  The mind can pay attention to only one thing at a time.  Prayer that comes out of the heart is not interrupted by thinking!  I will go so far as to say that nothing can interrupt this prayer, the prayer of simplicity.

Oh yes, there is one thing........................................"

Just while I was writing this I had this thought--

why not give away a copy--

Personally, I have never particularly liked blog give-a-ways--my reasoning shall remain with me--

but if you would like a chance to win a copy of this book,

just please drop me a quiet line by email and I will draw names and send

one out.  I don't know how to use the random generator thingie so you will just have to trust that I do 

this honestly.  I wish I could send every one of you a copy of this book.  My email address is under contact on the side bar.

Won't you come to His waters my friend--they are sweet.

Very, very sweet.

Hoping you will read Isaiah 55

Drawing for the book will be Friday evening, April 26th.

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted