UECF.NET study companion — original commentary, not the book's own text.
Guarding against a worship that is all emotion and no truth, Tozer is equally concerned to guard against a worship that is all truth and no emotion. The psalmist's soul panting for God “as the deer pants for the water brooks” is not embarrassed by feeling; it is honest about it. Tozer argues that worship confined only to the intellect, suspicious of any stirring of the heart, is as unbalanced as worship reduced to noise and excitement.
Genuine encounter with the living God will, in its proper season and proportion, move the affections — and that is not something to be ashamed of or to manufacture, but something to welcome when the Spirit produces it. Comparing ourselves to more expressive or more reserved worshipers, he suggests, misses the real question: is our own heart truly engaged?
Key points
- Worship that engages only the mind, never the heart, is incomplete (Psalm 42:1–2).
- Worship that engages only the emotions, never the mind, is equally incomplete.
- Real feeling in worship is the Spirit's fruit, not a performance to fake.
- Comparing ourselves to more expressive or more reserved worshipers misses the point — the question is whether our own heart is engaged.
Scripture (read on NKJV)
- Psalm 42:1–2 — "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You."
- Psalm 103:1–5 — "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me."
- Luke 19:37–40 — The multitude praises God with a loud voice
Reflect
- Are you more tempted toward worship that is “all head” or “all heart”? What would balance look like for you?
- When has worship genuinely moved your affections — and what preceded that moment?
- How can you welcome the Spirit's work in your feelings without trying to manufacture an emotional experience?
Prayer
Lord, You made us whole people — mind and heart together. Let our worship engage both truth and feeling, and keep us from despising either. Move our affections toward You as You will. Amen.