Approaching the Almighty: 100 Prayers of A. W. Tozer
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.
Top Highlights
“washed by holy blood, cleansed, renewed, and are now happy in Jesus” (source)
“‘In almost every chapter, I got on my knees with God alone seeking cleansing and power and purity and righteousness in my own spirit. Then, with a notebook, taking down notes, and from that, writing. Brethren, that’s what we need, more than we need anything else in the wide world.’” (source)
“I believe the greatest prayer in the world is the prayer of a life—a life that goes in the right direction” (source)
“But the greatest prayer He ever made was the walk He took from the time He toddled out of Joseph’s carpentry shop until they nailed Him on the cross. His life was His greatest prayer.” (source)
“we’re going to invest ourselves in the cross and give ourselves to the Christ, and follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (source)
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
PHIL SHAPPARD served at the Moody Bible Institute as Moody Radio's National Operations Manager before retiring at the beginning of 2020. Starting as a part-time announcer at Moody's station WDLM in 1981 he came to Chicago in 1983 and joined the Moody Radio Network staff full-time in 1984. He studied at Toccoa Falls College and later graduated with a B.S. in Business Management from Elmhurst University in Elmhurst, IL. Phil and his wife, Nora, have three grown children and nine grandchildren, and make their home in the western suburbs of Chicago.