A. W. Tozer - Voice of a Prophet: Who Speaks for God?

2014 James L. Snyder

Published by Bethany House Publishers
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Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
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Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Bethany House Publishers edition published 2014

ISBN 978-1-4412-6751-1

Previously published by Regal Books

Ebook edition originally created 2014

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

W hen A. W. Tozer was just beginning his preaching ministry, he was interviewed for ordination by a group of elders and ministers. Up to this point, he had been preaching on street corners, under gospel tents and now in a little storefront church in the hills of West Virginia. After interviewing him, the group of elders met together and all came to one conclusion: This man was not ready to be ordained; he had never finished high school; he had never attended a Bible college or seminary; he had no training whatsoever in ministry.

The men had almost come to the point of refusing to ordain Tozer when one man spoke out and said, This man has a real passion for ministry; and even though he has no college education or ministry training, I think we ought to give him a try.

Reluctantly, they agreed to the ordination.

Granted, Tozer did not fit the ministry template of his day. I am sure he would not fit todays template, either. The prophet God uses is uniquely called of God. He never volunteers for the job. He is called. Think of the lives of such biblical prophets as Elijah, Elisha and even John the Baptist. Think of David. Nobody thought David the shepherd could be king, but he turned out to be the greatest king Israel ever had.

A. W. Tozer was sort of like David. Few people thought he would ever amount to anything in the ministry, and yet he became one of the leading voices of his generation, with a message that continues even to this day to those who have ears to hear.

It was not mans approval that made Dr. Tozer the prophet of his day; it was Gods callHis choosing of a man who was willing to be used of God. It is impossible to define that call. I think Tozer would agree when I say that those who seem right for the job are not the ones God calls. God chooses a man or a woman who is out of sync with his or her generation. God uses a person, not because he or she fits in, but usually because he or she does not fit in.

After the elders and ministers had prayed and laid hands on him, Tozer withdrew to meet his Savior in the secret place and the silence, farther in than his well-meaning brethren could take him. Tozer wrote down the prayer that was his covenant with God. Thirty years later, he published it in the magazine he edited, The Alliance Witness, and called it The Prayer of a Minor Prophet. This prayer has been published many times. Its words reveal the heartbeat of a man God can use.

O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou hast called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou art about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. O Lord, my Lord, Thou hast stooped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man taketh this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou hast ordained me, Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not to be expected that they will receive me, the servant.

My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine, but Thine. Thou hast said, I knew theeI ordained theeI sanctified thee, and Thou hast also said, Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine, but Thine. So be it, Lord. Thy will, not mine, be done.

Well do I know, Thou God of the prophets and the apostles, that as long as I honor Thee, Thou will honor me. Help me, therefore, to take this solemn vow to honor Thee in all my future life and laborswhether by gain or by loss, by life or by deathand then to keep that vow unbroken while I live.

It is time, O God, for Thee to work, for the enemy has entered into Thy pastures, and the sheep are torn and scattered. False shepherds abound who deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give me understanding to see, and courage to faithfully report what I see. Make my voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheep will recognize it and follow Thee.

Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the modern clergy: the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to remember that I am a prophetnot a promoter, not a religious manager, but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity.

Save me from bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

I accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I shall try to be blind to the little ways that could make life easier. If others seek the smoother path, I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or if, as sometimes falleth out to Thy servants, I should have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if, in Thy permissive providence, honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as intimately as I know myself, they would withhold their honors or bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them.

And now, O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great, or minister to the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame; and I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven.

Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy calling, let me never forget that I am but a man of dust and ashes, a man with all the natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. I pray Thee, therefore, my Lord and Redeemer, save me from myself and from all the injuries I may do myself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill me with Thy power by the Holy Spirit, and I will go in Thy strength and tell of Thy righteousness, even Thine only. I will spread abroad the message of redeeming love while my normal powers endure.