A Prayer

The writings of A.W. Tozer have shaped my faith and worldview for decades. For the past many years I admit his books have been collecting dust on my shelves – as if I had already digested all he had to teach. Lately, as God creates a deeper spiritual hunger in me and a holy discontentment rises, I find myself drawn back to the writings of this humble prophet, and to the singular focus and example of his life.

Here is an excerpt from his book, Man, the Dwelling Place of God :

“Almost every day of my life I am praying that a jubilant pining and longing for God might come back on the evangelical churches. We don’t need to have our doctrine straightened out; we’re as orthodox as the Pharisees of old. But this longing for God that brings spiritual torrents and whirlwinds of seeking and self-denial – this is almost gone from our midst.

I believe that God wants us to long for Him with the longing that will become lovesickness, that will become a wound to our spirits, to keep us always moving toward Him, always finding and always seeking, always having and always desiring. So the earth becomes less and less valuable and heaven gets closer as we move into God and up into Christ.

Dare we bow our hearts now and say, “Father, I’ve been an irresponsible, childish kind of Christian – more concerned with being happy than with being holy.
O God, give me three wounds.
Wound me with a sense of my own sinfulness.
Wound me with compassion for the world.
Wound me with love of Thee that will keep me
always pursuing and always exploring,
always seeking and always finding.”

Thank you for praying for us, Pastor Tozer.
Now, we echo the words of your daily prayer:

Let a jubilant pining and longing for God come on the church.
Come, wound us.