I’ve read through day 3, but have been distracted the past two evenings with bat and then talking with Scott…
God and man exist for each other and neither is satisfied without the other.
Have you ever thought about that we exist for God, not simply because of God? Interesting concept. Here’s another one that I don’t know I’ve pondered before: We often discuss God’s will for our lives… questions like: What does He want me to accomplish while I’m here on Earth? But what about his eternal will for me? I suppose it’s maybe a bit premature to think about too much, since we are, after all, here and not there. But maybe it would help us figure things out now if we understood better our eternal destiny.
I think these two ideas connect because there was a reason God created each of us. He had something specific in mind. And it wasn’t just to live 100 years and then fertilize the earth we walked upon. It has to do with us knowing Him and Him knowing us.
Lead us up the mountain. Lead us to the place your glory dwells, God.
Lead us up the mountain. Lead us to the place your glory dwells, God…
Clark played that Matt Redman song for us at small group on Tuesday. It’s pretty simple; those are all the lyrics for it. Yet after really listening to those words over and over again, a new revelation hit me. We often ask for God’s leading, assuming he’ll send us this way or that… maybe to a new job, or into the missions field, or into relationship with an old friend or even into repentance. But how often do we pray for him to lead us into His presence?
I think we easily get off track. We continually think it’s about doing stuff for God rather than being in relationship with him. We figure if He’s going to lead us, He’ll surely lead us to get something done for him. He’ll send us somewhere. Maybe his leading is more calling.
We are called into an everlasting preoccupation with God.
Com’on now. Be honest. Are you preoccupied with God? Yes or no.
Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after 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 longseeking. Moses used the fact that he knew God as an argument for knowing Him better… (Exodus 33)
Read the story. It’s pretty cool how Moses proded the Lord for more of Him. It seems the deeper he went with God, the more he realized that God was even more so deep. Moses wasn’t content with his level of intimacy with God. It works the other way, too.
God is not satisfied until there exists between Him and His people a relaxed informality that requires no artifical stimulation. The true friend of God may sit in His presence for long periods in silence. Complete trust needs no words of assurance.
One reply on “Tozer: The Pursuit of God: Day 2”
that kind of reminds me of the mary/martha syndrome. i wonder if one of the things that drove martha was that she felt validated in the things she DID for the Lord because there was a tangible result: the finished meal, the clean house…while the things that Mary sought were things that are harder for other to recognize, but they were the better things.
it’s interesting, because spending time with the Lord does more for you than overly “doing” things for Him. Because it’s the time you spend with Him that empowers you to serve Him without taking the glory for yourself.
Because…if you love someone and you know that they did something, you would never take credit for it. Like, you will take some amazing pictures when we go out west and you’re going because of my original hair-brained scheme to get you out there, so i am helping you, in a way. but i would never take credit for the picture. does that make sense?