Weekly Devotional: Summer Series- A. W. Tozer on Our View of God

“What come into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” –A. W. Tozer

What do you think of when you think of God? Do you imagine an old man dressed in white? Do you think of a close friend or a distant ruler?

Theologian A. W. Tozer reminds us that our view of God is vitally important to our character. How we see God will directly influence how we live. In 1 Corinthians 4, it states that “the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.”

When we think of God we must first and foremost remember that God is not just a concept that we talk about, He is a real and powerful being. In today’s society it is easy to put God in a box and forget the reality of His power, but when we view God for who He really is, we will be in awe.

Many Christians also fall into the misunderstanding and false perception that God is a passive being. Though you may agree God is real, do you believe that He is active in your life? Matthew 22 says, “He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” The God of the Bible, the one that raised people from the dead, split seas, and rained manna from Heaven, is the same God we have today.

When we view God this way, we once again stand in reverence for a Creator who is active in our daily life. God did not create the world, take a step back and watch it play out. He is working in our lives all the time, parting oceans and guiding our paths, right in front of our eyes, even when we don’t see it.

Another common misconception about God is that we don’t really need Him. Many people hear about God and think that His existence is a nice belief, hope or idea, but don’t view Him as a necessity. They don’t believe He is essential for life, but the truth is that we can’t exist without God. We need Him just as much as we need air to breathe. When we chose to follow God, it isn’t a onetime decision, it is a choice we must make every day to live with God as our provider. Psalm 54 says, “The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.”

If we view God as our sustainer, He becomes the focus of our lives. God will no longer be a once-in-a-while type of hobby, but rather, a sustaining force of life.

A.W. Tozer’s perspective on God is very interesting and very true. Our very lives and character center on how we view our God. If we see Him as a weak, passive and unnecessary God, our lives will reflect this. We will not trust or rely on Him and will likely fall into sin, seeing no need for God. On the flip side, if we see God as a powerful, active and life-sustaining being, we will cling to Him and praise Him as our Savior. This will be visible to others and will point them to God too.

We must pursue an accurate view of God and not lose sight of His true nature. Our relationship with God, a result of our view of Him, is what makes us who we are. He loves us. He wants to have a relationship with us, and it starts by getting to know Him for who He really is.

Grand Canyon University is committed to viewing God as powerful, active and life-sustaining. If you would like to learn more about GCU’s Christian identity and heritage or would like to read more devotionals please visit our website and check out the GCU Blog.