Hero Series - A. W. Tozer

It is hard to find someone to look up to as a Christian. Many times, role models disappoint. Though the title of these hubs do contain the word hero in it. I would like those reading to know that the only reason these people are heroes to me is because Jesus Christ was within them. It is He in them that causes me to admire them and as usual, all glory goes to the Most High God.

Adien Wilson Tozer was born on the 21st of April, 1897. A lot of notable things happened that year. The Blue Danube waltz was heard for the first time, Jesse James and his gang were on the loose robbing banks, Michael Faraday the inventor died, in the District of Columbia African American men were given the right to vote, Alaska was purchased, and the Emperor of Mexico, Maximilian, was executed by a firing squad.

In the small town of La Jose, Pennsylvania, now known as Newberg, perhaps some of these things mattered more than others. I would like to think that the arrival of a new baby was important and a moment of joy to the Tozer family and that his mother, Prudence and his father, Jacob, were pleased to have him.

I confess that I do not know much about Tozer's childhood. All I do know is what he said about it in his sermons and from what he said it seemed to be just the time of life that other boys have - playing on the farm and learning responsibility.

He once told a story of a pet lamb that his family had raised. He said that he had loved that particular lamb and that the lamb was a docile and trusting creature. His father had sold the lamb to a man and that man came and took the trusting lamb in his hands and without the lamb or Tozer suspecting what would happen to it, killed it right before his eyes. It was something he said he would never forget and since he said it, it is something I cannot forget either. For I know a Lamb as well and He was wounded for my transgression.

I do not think that Tozer would mind it if I said that his life began when he first heard the truth. That day, when he was a teenager and he got down on his knees and cried out to God in his attic was the start of his relationship with the Lord God.

If you could ask A.W. Tozer what kind of a man he was, he would probably have said a simple man. He was devoted to God and served Him as best he could. He did not indulge in luxuries and had a sort of dry personality.

In 1918, he married Ada Pfautz and together they had seven children. The oldest was named Lowell, and the youngest, the only girl, was named Rebecca. The other boys were named Forrest, Aiden ( after his father) Wendell, Raleigh and Stanley. I have heard him mention them all in his sermons and when he mentioned them, his voice became that much softer and the love he had for them was apparent.

He began preaching in Virginia in 1919 at the age of twenty-two. He once said that his mother-in-law encouraged him to pursue after God and he did so and did so thoroughly. This preaching was the beginning of many more years of preaching and teaching the word of God. He wrote many sermons and published some books one of them being The Pursuit of God. Later, his sermons would be transformed into books so that all could have access to them.

Tozer was not educated as people are with seminary training and the like but he was spiritually educated and his sermons were proof of that. Of the writings I have seen concerning him, all seem to agree that he was a well read man, and so he educated himself. And while I would agree that this would heighten his common sense and logic, I would have to say that Mr. Tozer's take on the word of God came from his pure love of the word and his diligent seeking after the Lord. As the deer pants after the water brook, so Tozer sought the Lord.

Leonard Ravenhill once said that Tozer's sermons were not copied or taken from anyone else's. He read that Bible and found the word that God meant him to find. He did not need other's teachings before him to teach him. He went straight to the book and leaned on the arms of the Most High God.

To look at him, one would not think that he was a remarkable man but to hear him speak, one would know it. It is evident that A.W. Tozer had a deep respect and love for The Holy Spirit and he took the time to try to get to know Him as best he could. He did a series about Him and it is one of the best teachings I have ever heard on The Holy Spirit.

Tozer was a man who knew the value of spending time with God. He would shut himself up in his prayer closet and have fellowship with his Creator everyday. It was necessary for Tozer to do this for by doing this, he nourished his soul.

It was said that Tozer's relationship with The Holy Spirit was the closest relationship he had in his life. And that is the way it should have been. But it was also said that while A.W. Tozer had such a great relationship with His Father in heaven, he was somewhat uncommunicative with his family on earth.

When I first read the words concerning his relationship with his family, my heart sank. For A.W. Tozer seemed to me to be a giant of a man. It is recorded that his wife, who remarried after he died said (paraphrased) that he had belonged to God and that her new husband belonged to her. Apparently, Tozer did not communicate with his family much and so they did not get to know him as much as they would have liked. I have read many opinions about that statement but it still puzzles me today. I thought at first that I felt disappointed in Tozer but realized that I felt disappointed about her statement. To have such a man as my husband, I would have pushed my way into his life and demanded introduction to the Holy Spirit. But perhaps this is simply ignorance on my part, wishful thinking, and unwise presupposition, for I never knew what it was like to have a father who knew and feared God.

Tozer was not into luxuries, he tried to be humble, he never drove a car because he thought it was not a necessity and he was honest about all he did. He gave half of his salary back to the church and he gave away many of his book royalties. His actions tell me that he was a Godly man.

As all men do, A.W. Tozer answered his appointment with death in 1963. He had lived for sixty-six years on the earth and had spent more that fifty percent of it, doing the work of the Lord. But although it was the end of the road here, it was just a bridge to eternity for him.

I read that he died alone in a hospital in Toronto. He had had a heart attack and did not want anyone to stay with him. It was said that he died alone except for the Holy Spirit and I am sure that the author meant well, but I would disagree and say that we all die alone. Whether there are five hundred people around us or two, no one can walk with us through death. People only comfort themselves by being present for someone's death but the person cannot take you with them and you cannot walk through the gateway like a mother does with her child at school, and turn back after they are seated. We must face it by ourselves unless the Spirit of the Lord dwells in us. So I would say that Tozer died with all the company he needed.

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