Longing for God
The sermon emphasizes the importance of having a deep and sincere longing for God, and praying for a new work of love within us to experience spiritual growth.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the deep spiritual longing for God, comparing it to a deer's thirst for water. He expresses a profound awareness of his need for God's grace and a desire to cultivate a greater longing for Him. Tozer acknowledges his shame over a lack of desire and pleads for a fresh outpouring of God's love and glory in his life. He prays for the grace to rise from spiritual complacency and pursue a deeper relationship with God. The sermon is a heartfelt call to seek God earnestly and to be filled with an insatiable thirst for His presence.
Text
As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? --Psalm 42:1-2
O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' name. Amen. The Pursuit of God, 20.
"...I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Human Desire for God
- The Problem of Spiritual Thirst
- The Solution to Spiritual Thirst
- We need a new work of love within us
- We need to be filled with longing for God
- We need to be made more thirsty for God
Key Quotes
“I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still.” — A.W. Tozer
“Say to my soul, 'Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.'” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Pray for a deeper desire for God and a new work of love within you.
- Recognize that spiritual thirst is a sign of spiritual growth and a desire for God.
- Seek to experience God's glory and be filled with longing for Him.