Beside Still Waters - Madame Guyon

1648–1717

Jeanne-Marie Bouvier’s parents were very religious, and they made sure their daughter was brought up in the faith. She was epileptic and couldn’t always attend school, but she read a lot, especially the devotional works of Francis de Sales, a French bishop of the previous century.

For a time she dreamed of becoming a nun, but she changed her mind and, at the age of sixteen, married a wealthy older man, Jacques Guyon. His mother made life very difficult for the young bride. What’s more, in the following years she suffered the loss of both parents, a sister, and two children. In these troubling times, she turned inward, praying intensely for God’s help. She also became aware of the mystical teachings of Father Francois Lacombe, who would be a major influence throughout her life.

After twelve years of marriage, her husband died. A wealthy widow at age twenty-eight, Jeanne-Marie was now free to develop her ideas of the spiritual life. Seeking spiritual direction from Lacombe, she began to write and teach from her own experiences of mystical union with God. Spearheading a new movement that became known as Quietism, Madame Guyon attracted both followers and opponents. One major supporter was Francois Fénelon, a priest and tutor in the royal court, who eventually became a bishop and writer of his own devotional works (though later, under pressure, he retracted support for Quietism).

Madame Guyon’s writings about the spiritual life were personal and experiential. In that time and place—Catholic France of the late 1600s—this approach threatened the religious establishment. And yet she gave the church a gift of life. In a ritual-heavy environment, she led people into an authentic relationship with God. In later centuries, her admirers would be many, including the visionary poet William Cowper and the powerful preacher Charles Spurgeon.

The well-known Twenty-third Psalm says the Lord “leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul” (NIV). In a way, that’s what Madame Guyon has done for us. She herself was led by Francis de Sales, Father Lacombe, and others, and she led Fénelon, Cowper, and Spurgeon, who all led countless others. We are a centuries-long procession of believers who lead each other beside the still waters of God’s restoration.

So . . . how have you been led here? And who is being led by you?

He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

Psalm 23:2-3, NIV