Discover the never-before-published prayers of A. W. Tozer as he opens his sermons.
Is there a holier moment than when a preacher steps into the pulpit and opens the Scriptures before the people of the Lord? A. W. Tozer certainly understood the gravity and sanctity of that moment. His pulpit prayers reflect the holy awe that he experienced as he stood before God and the gathered congregation.
Although Tozer fans are familiar with his writings and sermons, now for the first time, Approaching the Almighty collects the prayers that Tozer offered as he stepped into the pulpit to preach. Phil Shappard, a Moody Radio manager whose job was to remaster the audiotapes of Tozer’s sermons, has collected and transcribed almost two hundred prayers that reveal the great preacher’s intimate walk with God.
The path to a rich prayer life is to pray alongside others whose faith is deep. Let Tozer’s pulpit prayers guide your own heart in its steadfast pursuit of God.
Praise for Approaching the Almighty
“When I began reading Tozer's prayers I found myself drawn in. I
began praying along with him. I was being lifted up to the throne
room by a powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. These are not
perfunctory prayers offered up by a pastor who is going through
introductory motions. On the contrary, the reader is given the
privilege of being led into the presence of our Holy God. This is a
very important book.”
—Lyle Dorsett, author of A Passion for God: The Spiritual
Journey of A.W. Tozer
“As I read Approaching the Almighty, I could hear Tozer's
drawly Midwestern baritone in my head: his heart was full of God's
Word, and the words of the hymnal as well, and it shows in these
impassioned prayers.”
—Larry Shackley, Composer and Church Musician
“I have often shied away from reading other people's prayers. I
associated this practice with ritualistic churches, where the order
of service is read out of a book. But throughout the years I have
changed my mind, realizing that we can learn so much from the way
in which others prayed. Often they describe so beautifully, what
may be in our own hearts as we lift our praise and petitions to
God. As I read these prayers by A. W. Tozer I found that he was
bringing to my mind phrases of adoration to God, and praying for
needs that I had overlooked. Let me challenge you to do what I did:
Pray these prayers to God, let them speak to your heart and they
will help you enter into the presence of the Almighty with both
humility and praise. We must learn all we can from this man who's
only passion in life was to know God and adore Him.”
—Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church in
Chicago
“I finished reading the book yesterday. I read slowly and carefully
and prayerfully. I am one of a declining number of people who has
heard Tozer preach and pray in person. As I kept on reading, I
could feel like I was hearing him again. You have caught the
essence of who Tozer was. Others may have studied what he preached
but you have caught who he was in his relationship with God. The
longer I’m living the more I sense there is a unique flow or system
that is hidden in each person. You can have all the words and
grammar right but if you don’t flow with the hidden culture of the
language, you have not properly translated. What I got from your
book is that in all these years of studying Tozer, you have gotten
to that hidden part of who he was. I want the whole world to read
your book. I can’t begin to describe how significant I believe what
you have done really is.”
—Rev. John Fogal, Retired pastor and District Superintendent
of the Christian and Missionary Alliance