Pathways Press.com

Written by A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), an American pastor, author, editor, and spiritual mentor. This is an excerpt from his book “My Daily Pursuit.”

Perhaps one reason we do not have much confidence in the character of God today is that we do not have a high enough opinion of God. God has been talked down and reduced, modified, edited, changed, and amended until He is not the God that Isaiah saw “high and lifted up.” Because God has been reduced in the minds of people, they do not have that boundless confidence in His character that used to be prominent among Christians. Confidence is necessary to respect. You cannot respect a man in whom you have no confidence. Extend that respect upward to God and if you cannot respect God, you cannot worship Him. You cannot have confidence in Him, because where there is no respect there can be no worship. Worship rises and falls in the church depending upon whether the idea of God is low or high; so we must begin with God where everything begins. God needs no rescuing, but we do, and we must rescue our concepts from their fallen and frightfully inadequate condition so that boundless confidence in Him can reign once again.  

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. [Psalm 57:5]