Inadequate Thoughts on Desiring God by John Piper
I wrapped up Desiring God by John Piper last night, making good on a promise to read his stuff after seeing him live at The Gospel Coalition this year. The book centers around Piper’s premise that the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever and that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Two maxims expressing the same central idea. Piper uses this book to try and prove biblically that this is true.
Piper does so convincingly. He cites the Psalms thoroughly and rightfully so. Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” Psalm 41 and 42, 119 and Psalm 16:11 “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” are rich with the conclusion that the Lord is the ultimate source of joy for human beings. He goes on to cite passage after passage in the New Testament supporting the same conclusion; Joy is found in the Lord.
But how? On a surface level, pursuing Christ doesn’t seem all that glamorous. How does pursuing the Lord produce joy? I couldn’t help but draw on some Aristotelian thought here (that Piper speaks to, in a completely different tone.) All things are designed with a specific function, human beings have a function as well, biblically (and in Desiring God) that function is to glorify God. Since we are then fulfilling are design function, it only makes sense that we would find joy in doing what were were designed to do. Indeed, scripture promises us that, Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart, IE more of himself, which will produce more joy and so forth.
Having established a basis in scripture, Piper moves on to some specific touch-points. His chapter on scripture caught my eye in particular. Piper calls it the kindling that sparks Christian joy. It’s often said that the answer to getting out of the spiritual desert is practicing the spiritual disciplines. But if you’re anything like me, that can quickly turn into checking a box. Piper did a good job of showing me that we need to treat spiritual disciplines, like reading scripture, into spending time with our Father. The word discipline is probably a misnomer, we need to treasure that time, that is the type of spiritual discipline that builds joy. Not begrudging submission.
Suffering is, unsurprisingly, addressed. Critics are quick to point to suffering, how can there be joy in this? In short, suffering in this life is worth the inestimable treasure of eternity with Christ in heaven. Further, it seems suffering produces ancillary benefits for the believer and the church. Spurgeon once said ‘I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.’ Namely, when suffering comes, Christians often learn to lean on Christ more fully. Indeed, scripture promises us that if we believe in Christ we will suffer in this life. But let’s be honest, suffering comes for the non-believer as well. Death is inevitable. The key difference is that suffering often produces a deeper, sweet reliance on Christ for the believer. And thus, joy that defies understanding.
I found this book to be thoughtful and thorough. Particularly because it addresses something universal to humanity. There is a Blaise Pascal quote that Piper uses (more than once I think) that helps shed light on this.
All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even those who hang themselves.
It is Piper’s contention that the only true fulfillment for this longing is found in Christ. Amen.