Reviewing the Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer
Quick Take
Great introduction to Tozer’s writing. A prime example that spiritual books written by “old dead guys” can be anything but stodgy and dull. A call to action and a call to a vibrant personal relationship with Christ. Wonderful (short) book. Highly recommend.
Notable Quotes
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” – A. W. Tozer, the Pursuit of God
“They had been in the presence of God and they reported what they saw there. They were prophets, not scribes, for the scribe tells us what he has read, and the prophet tells us what he has seen.” – A. W. Tozer, the Pursuit of God
My Thoughts
This was my first reading of Tozer, so I picked up this classic to start. In the Pursuit of God, Tozer continually points us toward the importance of pursuing a personal relationship with God. Tozer posits, what is the common thread among the “famous” Biblical figures as well as those of today who accomplish great things for the kingdom? A committed desire and pursuit of God. This theme weaves in and out of each of the book’s ten concise sections.
The book is refreshingly compact and to the point. It would be a great small group study, as each section is varied enough with plenty of valuable insight to carry discussion.
I haven’t read all of John Piper’s magnum opus, “Desiring God,” but I’d be curious to know how much of it was inspired by works like this. The undercurrents of Piper’s Christian hedonism are only a few paragraphs here in Tozer’s work, but they are just as powerful and perspective shifting.
It’s interesting to note that Tozer wrote this book in the 1940’s, as his comments on the lack of spiritual fervor in the church and the desire for quick, easy solutions seem right at home in today’s church. Seemingly, every generation has said the same of the previous one.
“The scribe tells us what he has read. The prophet tells us what he has seen.” Great food for thought here. It’s clear that Tozer does not at all denounce deep Biblical study, but at the cost of a vibrant personal relationship with God? The veil to the inner courts has been removed (Hebrews 10). To paraphrase Tozer, what in the world are we still doing on the outside when an intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe awaits?