The Diary of an Old Soul: Daily Devotional Poems by George MacDonald, illustrated by Haleigh DeRocher

The Diary of an Old Soul is a book of daily devotional poems, one for each day of the year.  In these verses, which were at first simply MacDonald’s musings jotted down in his personal diary, the author wrestles with his understanding of God and the world around him. Through these musings, we see the hope of redemption and everlasting love: we see the promises of a Good Father. This devotional book, though written in the Victorian Age, has inspired and strengthened many Christians through the years. C.S Lewis was particularly fond of this book; he apparently sat down to read from it every night, and he famously borrowed from MacDonald his “living house” image, rewritten in the pages of Mere Christianity. The book also inspired famous Christian writers Elisabeth Elliot and John Eldredge.

“Let my soul talk to Thee in ordered words,
O King of kings, O Lord of only lords!
When I am thinking Thee within my heart
From the broken reflex be not far apart.
The troubled water, dim with upstirred soil
Makes not the image which it can yet spoil
Come nearer, Lord, and smooth the wrinkled coil.”

This book features 12 of my illustrations at the beginning of each section (separated into the twelve months of the year). It is a pocket sized book, measuring 4.5×7.

Read more about this book here.