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We were created in the image of God, and to understand who we are, we need to understand who God is. His very character and nature are reflected through us. Unless we fully grasp who we are, we’ll never become all God wants us to be.

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Delighting in God is the message Tozer intended to be the follow-up to The Knowledge of the Holy. He demonstrates how the attributes of God–those things God has revealed about himself–are a way to understand the Christian life of worship and service. We are here to serve and adore him, but we can only fulfill that role by acknowledging who he is, which is the essence of the Christian life and the source of all our fulfillment, joy, and comfort.

My Thoughts

Most people are familiar with A.W. Tozer’s pithy quotes, but not the man or his messages. This was true in my case. I asked different people, while reading this book, if they were familiar with him. Most of them gave the same answers, “I’ve heard people quote him. He can be a little legalistic.” But, most admitted they had never read his books or messages.

In Delighting in God, A. W. Tozer talks about having the right perception of God and the effects it has upon the spiritual walk with God. If you are familiar with his quotes you know Tozer doesn’t mince words. You never have to wonder what is on his mind or how he feels about a certain subject. In his book, he shares what we must do to walk with God.

I enjoyed Delighting in God. I found myself highlighting sentences along the way. In one place he talks about hero-worship taking the place of true worship—“magnifying the messenger and minimizing the message.” The more I read, I was reminded of how the more things change, the less they change.

Perhaps some believe him a little legalistic; I think it all depends on the reader. I did not perceive him as such. I believe him to be a man who believed in God and wished to share those beliefs.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

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As a singer, it’s never enough just to sing a song. I want to know who wrote it and what moved them to put pen to paper and tell the world their inner thoughts. The more I know about the song, the more the words resonate with me as I realize this person understands my present struggles.

Charles Tindley/Wikimedia

As a budding author, my eyes often wandered to the upper right-hand corner of the page in search of the author.

I noticed the songs Nothing Between, Stand By Me, We’ll Understand It Better By and By, and Leave It There had something in common. They were all written by Charles A. Tindley.

I thought I would share what I found about this brave and humble man.

Robert J. Morgan in his book, Then Sings My Soul, Volume 2 tells the following:

Born into slavery.
He used bits of newspaper found along the roadside to teach himself the ABC’s
Took correspondence courses. “Thus while I was unable to go through the schools, I was able to let the schools go through me.”
Called an unlettered ignoramus
Became a pastor
Established soup kitchens
Opened his church to the homeless in cold weather
Knew criticism, abuse, hard and many opposition

Did he understand the depth of what he was writing? I believe so.

Do I?

When I sing those familiar songs, do I sing them with the same passion as he felt when putting pen to paper? I wonder.

I admit, it’s easy to open my mouth and let the words fly out without ever thinking about the message. But when I think of all this man went through, something inside me begins to stir.

For the same God that he wrote about is the same God I serve today. And no matter what may come my way He will never fail me.

I believe Charles A. Tindley knew, understood, and wrote about that truth.

Stand By Me~Charles Albert Tindley ~Public Domain

When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me; When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me. When the world is tossing me, Like a ship upon the sea, Thou Who rulest wind and water, Stand by me.