The Pursuit of God

First published in 1948, The Pursuit of God  by A. W. Tozer, has been reissued with an Introduction by James L. Snyder and published by Bethany House, who kindly sent me a hardback copy of this Christian classic to review.

A self-taught theologian-pastor, Tozer (1897-1963) wrote the book on a long, cross-country train ride, most likely unaware it would be published many times in many languages over many decades. He just wanted to bring readers of this and his forty-plus books into the presence of God. As he stated in the Preface, “It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God’s children starving while actually seated at the Father’s table.”

In the chapter “Following Hard After God,” Rev. Tozer advises us:

“Come near to the holy men and women of the past, and you will soon feel the heat of their desire for God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking.”

His book has precisely that effect with chapter after chapter showing us how. In “The Universal Presence,” for example, Tozer explains:

“God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His Presence. On our part there must be surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work it is to show us the Father and the Son. If we cooperate with Him in loving obedience, God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face.”

Each chapter ends with a prayer relevant to what’s just been read as Rev. Tozer draws us ever deeper into The Pursuit of God. The book continues to direct our focus away from ourselves and our concerns toward God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, exhorting us to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) while become more receptive to “The Speaking Voice.”

In the chapter by that name, Rev. Tozer clarifies:

“The facts are that God is not silent, has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak…. The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God’s continuous speech.”

Further:

“I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not only a book which was once spoken, but a book which is now speaking….” for “…a word of God once spoken continues to be spoken.”

Therefore:

“If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible, expecting it to speak to you. Do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. It is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God.”

©2020, Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, Bible Reviewer

…

Misery and good company

A Christian in one of my social media groups just admitted to being dissatisfied with the Lord! While appreciating the gift of eternal life he’s been given, he feels his present life has mainly brought misery and suffering with no end in sight.

If we're honest, most of God's people have had similar feelings at one hard time or another. Perhaps we then discovered how the Bible offers many, many, many examples of complaints and laments!

With that certainty in mind, I looked up “Joy,” “Misery,” and “Suffering" on my "go-to" site, Bible Gateway.

Misery may be a warning.

When the Prophet Jeremiah realized the inevitability of war, his whole body experienced the misery of that knowledge, so he could not keep quiet about it! He had to speak and warn the people:

“My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!
Oh the walls of my heart!
My heart is beating wildly;
I cannot keep silent,
for I hear the sound of the trumpet,
the alarm of war,” Jeremiah 4:19, English Standard Version (ESV.)

Misery might also be warning us to let go of old habits and grudges at war with our new nature in Christ.

Misery loves the company of Prophets.

In Jeremiah 20:18, the Prophet asked:

“Why did I come forth from the womb,
to see sorrow and pain,
to end my days in shame?”
New American Bible (Revised Edition), NABRE

Misery might come to sensitive people who not only “see” the sorrow and pain around them but feel it too.

Similarly, Micah 7 begins with these sad words as translated in the Common English Bible (CEB):

“I’m doomed!
I’ve become like one who,
even after the summer fruit has been gathered,
after the ripened fruits have been collected,
has no cluster of grapes to eat,
no ripe fig that I might desire.”

This ability to perceive the plights of others and readily empathize can be a mark of a prophet, then and now. If so, we can follow the example of the Prophet in Micah 7:7 as he resolves to get beyond the misery by trusting and focusing on the Lord.

“But me! I will keep watch for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.”

Misery loves the company of prayer.

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective,” James 5:13-16, New International Version, NIV.

Misery eventually ends with joy to follow.

As James reminds us:

“Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about—the Lord is compassionate and merciful,” James 5:10-11, Christian Standard Bible (CSB.)

And, as my favorite Bible verse strongly declares:

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose,” Romans 8:28, New American Standard Bible (NASB.)

Again and again, the Bible lets us know to expect suffering but encourages us to keep faith in God and the promises He gives in Christ Jesus - The One Who Suffered and died for us but then was raised from the dead!

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed,” Romans 8:18-19, New International Version (NIV.)

Misery can draw us closer to God and one another as we recognize, believe in, and accept the Lord’s loving hand in our lives.

Let it be so! So be it. Amen.

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2018

…

Interviewing the Apostle Paul on money

We’re happy to have the Apostle Paul back with us in today’s Bible readings. Last month we discussed the spiritual gifts each of us has been given to up-build the church Body of Christ, but lately, many of us have money on our minds. Even our churches need it to keep the doors open and ministries going. So this time, Paul, I’d like to ask you about the attitude Christians should have about money. Is it important at all?

Paul: Of course, but we gain more through godliness and contentment with what we have. We brought nothing into the world and can take nothing out of it, so if we have food and clothing, we can be content with these.

MHS: Okay, but what if we win the lottery or invent a video game that makes us rich?

Paul: People who want to get rich get more temptations! Or they get trapped by all sorts of senseless, harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

MHS: I see the dangers of loving money more than God.

Paul, nodding. Love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. Some, who are eager to be rich, wander away from the faith, which pierces them with many pains.

MHS: So, how do we avoid this?

Paul: As for you people of God, shun all this! Instead, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

MHS: Sounds hard!

Paul: Then fight! Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life you’re called to and which you acknowledged in front of witnesses and in the presence of God, who brings all things to life – including Christ Jesus, who in His testimony before Pontius Pilate made a good confession too.

MHS: To be rich in faith – yes, that’s what I want! That’s what all of us in all of the churches want!

Paul: And I charge you all – I give you custody of the Lord’s commandments, so you may keep them without blemish or blame until our Jesus Christ comes again at just the right time. And He will! For He is the blessed and only Sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords. In Christ alone dwells immortality and unapproachable light – such as we have never seen – and never could see without Him. So to Him give honor forever and eternal control over your lives. Amen?

MHS: Amen!

Paul: As for those who are already rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their faith and hope on unreliable riches but on God who richly provides everything that’s truly delightful!

MHS: Yes! Thank you, Paul, You’ve helped a lot. Is there anything else you want to say before you go?

Paul: Just do good! Be rich in good works. Be generous and ready to share, thus storing up the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so you may take hold of a life that really is life. Guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid disrespectful talk, and avoid arguments that make you miss the point of faith.

MHS: Good words to live and love by! Thanks again, Paul. God bless you and your writings to the church.

Paul: May the grace of God be with you all.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of today’s Daily Bible Reading in the Epistles, 1 Timothy 6:6-21

~~