The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

Week 2: Chapter I — Following Hard after God

Read Chapter I of The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. Primary Scripture: Psalm 63:8; Psalm 42:1-2; John 6:44.

Tozer opens with a paradox that runs through the entire book: we pursue God, yet it is God who first drew us to pursue Him. Sit with that tension as you work through these questions.

Discussion Questions

8 questions

1.Tozer teaches the doctrine of "prevenient grace" — that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man. How does this doctrine protect us from pride in our own spirituality, and how does it simultaneously refuse to let us be passive?

2.He writes that the doctrine of justification by faith "has in our time fallen into evil company" and been used in a way that actually "bars men from the knowledge of God." This is a striking charge. What does he mean? Do you think he is right?

3.Tozer says, "The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word." What does it look like to lose God in His own Word? Have you experienced this?

a.What is the difference between studying God's Word and encountering God through His Word?

b.What practices help you move from one to the other?

4.Tozer describes God as a Person who "thinks, wills, enjoys, feels, loves, desires and suffers." He insists that "it is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities" and that full knowledge requires long, loving, ongoing intercourse. How does this description of God change the way you think about prayer and devotion?

5.He refers to St. Bernard's quatrain about tasting the Living Bread and still longing for more, and calls this "the soul's paradox of love." How is it possible to have found God and still be passionately seeking Him? Do you experience that paradox in your own life?

+ 5 more questions in this week

Get all 101 questions across 13 weeks

Get Full Guide — $24.99

Closing Prayer

Full guide

O God, we confess we have been content with far too little of You. We have received the gift of justification and stopped there, strangely unmoved by the infinite riches of the Godhead still waiting to be known. We want to want You more than we do. Give us the holy discontent of the psalmist who cried, "My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God." And as You drew us first, draw us still, deeper and deeper into the knowledge of Yourself. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Week 1 View Full Guide Week 3

Get the Complete 13-Week Study Guide

All 101 discussion questions, weekly reading schedule, closing prayers, and a downloadable PDF for your group.

Get Your Guide — $24.99

All Weeks in This Guide

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13

More by A.W. Tozer Faith & Theology Spiritual Growth & Disciplines