The Lonely Pilgrim

The journey that a Christian makes in this life can often be a lonely journey. The account of Christian's journey to the Celestial City, in John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress" is a wonderful allegory of the Christian life which demonstrates a distinct "aloneness" quality. Even when surrounded by those we love and who love us, in our hearts and minds, the words of Proverbs ring true to us: "Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy." (Proverbs 14:10 NIV).

A 20th century preacher and writer encapsulated this in his book "Man - The Dwelling Place of God." A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) has often been referred to as a 20th century prophet. Two of his books "The Pursuit of God" and "Knowledge of the Holy" are already considered classics of Christian devotional writing. Although he has been with the Lord now for over 40 years, his writings and his sermons (many of which are available in free downloadable mp3 format here) sound as if he were speaking with today's world and today's church in mind. I've linked to Tozer's chapter "The Saint Must Walk Alone." I hope you find this as insightful as I did.