Picture Developing, Part II

“Now he was a man wholly surrendered, a man utterly obedient, a man who possessed nothing. …he knew that he owned nothing, that his real treasures were inward and eternal.” 1

After days of struggle I return to my reading of The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer.  The very day after I publish Picture Developing I read as Tozer walks through the harsh experience of Abraham after God instructed him to sacrifice his only son.  I want to hold tight to the children (treasures) God has given, I am asked to let go.  To trust God while He is developing the picture of their lives.

“We are often hindered from giving up our treasures to the Lord out of fear for their safety; this is especially true when those treasures are loved relatives and friends. But we need have no such fears. Our Lord came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe which we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not so committed.” ¹ (emphasis mine)

It is so comforting when God sees me, where my heart is wrestling.  I raise my hands and pray – naming each child – they are safer in His hands than mine.  Tozer ends the chapter with a prayer.  It sounds like a consuming prayer to this soul seeking to be consumed.  

“Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus' Name, Amen.” ²

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¹ Tozer, A. W. (Aiden Wilson) (2011-03-24). The Pursuit of God (pp. 19-20). Kindle Edition.

² Tozer, A. W. (Aiden Wilson) (2011-03-24). The Pursuit of God (p. 21). Kindle Edition.