Walking Twenty-Five Miles for the Word: Mary Jones and Psalm 119:105

Some of the best-known stories of faith begin with a very simple wish: "I want a Bible of my own."

In 1800, a 15-year-old Welsh girl named Mary Jones, the daughter of a poor weaver from Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, had learned to read at a school run by the minister Thomas Charles. Bibles in Welsh were scarce, and the nearest copy for sale was in Bala, about 25 or 26 miles away. According to the accounts, she saved for six years, then walked the distance barefoot across mountain country to buy one. Versions of the story differ on the details of what happened when she arrived, but all agree on her determination. Her journey is remembered as one of the sparks behind the founding of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804, which has helped put the Scriptures into the hands of people around the world.

Key verse (KJV): "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." - Psalm 119:105

Reflection: Mary did not wait for the Word to be handed to her. She saved, she walked, and she kept going. How much do we value the Scriptures we can open at any hour today?

Prayer point: Lord, renew our hunger for Your Word, and let it light our path this week.

Over to you:
- What is one habit that helps you stay close to the Word of God?
- Has a verse ever carried you through a hard season? Tell us about it.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Mary Jones and her Bible"; BBC Wales History blog; Bible Society (UK); National Library of Wales.
Photo: Watercolour of Mary Jones, c. 1800-1840, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)