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When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight For Joy

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This is John Piper's best book of the last several years, which builds on (but doesn't repeat, contrary to one review) the foundations laid in Desiring God: The Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Because the supreme duty of every follower of Jesus is to glorify God (1 Cor 10:31) and because praise on the lips divorced from delight in the heart is hypocrisy (Matthew 15:8), nothing is more important than having a heart that is so satisfied in Jesus that it can say, "Whom have I heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire beside You" (Psalm 73:25). And since sustaining that kind of desire for God is a fight, John Piper served us well by writing this helpful book.

Chapter One is entitled, "Why I Wrote This Book." From the outset Piper makes clear that "the fight for joy in Christ is not a fight to soften the cushion of Western comforts. It is a fight to live a life of self-sacrificing love." (p. 20). This is no health/wealth/prosperity handbook to grabbing as much joy in this life as possible. It is a field-manual for the believer who is dead earnest about not wasting his life on trivialities.

Chapter Two, "What is the Difference Between Desire and Delight," far from playing fast and loose in defining words, is a helpful exploration of "affections." Drawing on C. S. Lewis's "Surprised by Joy," Piper demonstrates that desire and delight are different though related, with God the all-important object of both. His discussion is laden with Scripture and his use of language wise.

Chapter Three, "The Call to Fight for Joy in God," is a serious look at God's demand that we delight in Him. Delight in God is serious because the essence of evil is to choose broken cisterns over the Fountain of Living Water (Jer. 2:13). And joy in God is so central to saving faith that Piper rightly says, "Heaven hangs on having the taste of joy in God" (p. 34). Which is why fighting for it is so urgent. This, however, doesn't lead us into the cul-de-sac of legalism, because "Joy in God is a Gift of God" (Chapter Four). God graciously gives what He demands by creating delight in our hearts. Chapter Five further explores that gift in discussing how "The Fight for Joy is a Fight to See" - and seeing is the result of God's gracious work. "Without the work of our omnipotent internal Eye Surgeon we would remain blind and unable to see. Oh, how we need the gift of spiritual sight!" (p. 58) Chapter Six, "Fighting for Joy Like a Justified Sinner," shows how the gospel is central to our fight for joy and urges us to feast on the gospel in the preached Word and the Lord's Table.

Chapters Seven through Twelve take us deeper into application, as Piper teaches us how to "Wield the Word in the Fight for Joy" (Chapters Seven and Eight), discusses the focus and practice of prayer in the fight for joy (Chapters Nine and Ten), and explores "How to Wield the World in the Fight for Joy" (Chapter Eleven - a very useful chapter which shows how to use food and fasting, sex and suffering, art and literature, and rest and nature in the fight for joy). Chapter Twelve is a hopeful encouragement for "When the Darkness Does Not Lift."

I've read most of Piper's books and this one is near the top, along with the classics Desiring God, Future Grace, and The Pleasures of God. It is certainly his most practical book to date and will be my companion for many years as I continue to battle for a heart satisfied in God alone.

This is a general comment on Piper's books and ministry. I deeply appreciate the work of John Piper--especially his emphasis on missions and on living God-centered, Christ-exalting lives of worship. And I am Augustinian, so I love Piper's theology and am thrilled that he has become so popular. But I do want to provide a warning. Piper's main emphasis is (and you'll read this over and over again) "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied (or delighted) in Him." This is a biblical and wonderful proposition that Piper became aware of through the writings of Jonathan Edwards. And to Edwards, this was one small part of his theology.

But Piper has taken this idea, which he calls "Christian Hedonism," and built his whole life and ministry around it. The problem is that if you read enough Piper, you will begin to focus on the FEELING of being delighted in Christ, rather than on Christ Himself. And when your feelings don't match what you want them to be, you will become disheartened. (And let's face it, few of us have the emotional intensity of John Piper.) At that point, your feelings (of being delighted in God) become the object of your desires and, thus, an idol. Yes, they are feelings TOWARD God--but those feelings are NOT GOD. And when the focus of your life has become your emotions, it has deceptively become an idol.

I know Piper fights against this tendency. But I'm afraid he is often unsuccessful. The fact is, the Christian life is not going to be one of unending joy in God. Read the Psalms to see how often the psalmists cry out in agony and desperation and sadness to the Lord. Read Romans 7 to find out how tough and discouraging the Christian life can really be.

According to Piper, our happiness in God should be the driving motivation in our life. But when Christians are inevitably not overflowing with delight in God, then under Piper's framework, the only solution is to seek that feeling of joy rather than just do our duty. There are times when duty and obligation (which Piper hates) are the only motivations for the Christian to be obedient and live a life of faith. I agree wholeheartedly with Piper that delight in God is a much better motivation for the Christian than duty. But when that delight is not there, we still must be faithful and obedient, and we can't always wait on our feelings to drive us on toward the prize.

Read Piper's books. And enjoy his passionate and Christ-exalting preaching. But beware and repent when your emotions--rather than the Triune God Himself--become the focus of your life.

If you've ever been frustrated by Piper's heralding statement "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" because of your dissatisfaction in God, then this book begins to answer your frustrations. Piper has taken the most common protests and frustrations with Christian Hedonism and systematically answered these concerns with Scriptural exhortation upon Scriptural exhortation. Here is a quote from the book that really impacted me: "Make and trust a blind idol, and you become blind (Psalm 135:15-18). Apply that principle to the modern world, and think of the idols of our own day. What do we make and what do we trust? Things. Toys. Technology. And so our hearts and our affections are formed by these things. They compress the void in our heart into shapes like toys. The result is that we are easily moved and excited by things-computers, cars, appliances, entertainment media. They seem to fit the shapes in our hearts. They feel good in the tiny spaces that have made. But in this readiness to receive pleasure from things, we are ill-shaped for Christ. He seems unreal, unattractive. The eyes of our hearts grow dull."

Piper is one of my favorite authors. I have also heard every sermon he has on available for audio on his website. I've heard and read a lot of his work. He says he really only has one message and that is "To seek and spread a passion for the glory of Christ to the joy of all peoples." This book is a new view on that. I've owned this book for a while and prayed that God would let me read this when it would affect me most. He did just that. I pray that would be your prayer as well. When that happens, God will make His Name sweet in your heart and beautiful on your lips. If you are struggling with your desire for God, first go to Him in prayer. Than go to His Word. Then go to your pastor, your family, and friends. Then read this book. God will reach you in your time of struggle and in your time of blessing. In Job 1:21, right after hearing of all the troubles the LORD brought on him, Job proclaimed, "Naked I came into this world and naked I will return. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, may the Name of the Lord be praised!" Praise God in both blessing and suffering. He is blessing you with both, so thank Him and praise Him in return. Let Him teach you this lesson through John Piper in this book!

One element of this book that I found to be very useful was the practical/direct instruction it offers on its various points. For example, Piper will spend a chapter showing how the Word of God is necessary in the fight for joy, and then the next chapter goes into strategies for actually reading and meditating on the Word of God. He then does the same process for prayer. Much of Piper's writing is of a deep, theological nature, chapter after chapter, and it was refreshing for there to be hands-on application sprinkled throughout the whole book.

The Piper triology is considered to be his earlier books Desiring God, Future Grace, and The Pleasures of God. However, this is the hidden jewel in the Piper collection in my humble opinion. It is an excellent compliment to the John Piper's trilogy. He drums the recurring theme, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." Yet the Christian walk is full of twists and turns, and occasionally a season of affliction. Our human frailty is at odds with Christian joy, yet we are to fight the good fight of faith. In the season of affliction, we have to fight for joy, and preach to ourselves the good news of the Gospel. We must present ourselves as a living sacrifice, and find satisfaction in the goodness of God.

Some good chapters focus on our spiritual implements of fighting the good fight from prayer to Scripture memorization. Piper calls Christians to rise above the mediocrity of the age, leave behind the lukewarm spirituality and embrace a radical discipleship. We live in an age in which many Christians are lackadaisical in their efforts to grow spiritually. Many consider a piecemeal effort to attend church from time-to-time as the extent of their investment in working towards spiritual maturity. John Piper challenges Christians to wake up, and in the midst of discouragement rather than depart from full fellowship, he exhorts believers to fight for joy in their Christian walk, and savor the joy of their salvation.

John Piper's book remains a clarion call to fight for joy as a justified sinner, and savor the riches of Jehovah's grace and glory. Where we have been faithless, our covenant God is faithful to do what He has promised. The Lord Jesus Christ is truly the author and finisher of our faith.

One of the most reflective chapters introduces the concept of gutsy guilt, and offers a remarkably profound exposition on justification by faith alone in concurrence with Micah chapter seven. As far as the east is from the west, so far as the Lord removed our transgressions from us. Blessed is the name of the Lord, and blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin and whose lawless deeds are forgiven. We're more than conquererors through Christ Jesus.

I regret to say that "mean dean" who has made statements below has not understood Piper as well as he thinks. Piper also agrees and even states in his messages and books that if the delight is not there, then obedience is still to be pursued nonetheless ... but that this "delight-less obedience of duty" is not the only pursuit which is necessary. In addition to still pursuing obedience even when the emotions of delight are not there Piper goes on to say that the reasons for "why the delight is missing" need to be looked into and not just swept aside. "Mean dean"'s critique of Piper is unfortunately not true to his own teaching.

This book is excellent, and it is extremely practical, as it takes the teachings of Scripture and gives clear "handles" for how to apply the life-transforming truths which Piper has presented in his many books regarding the imperative role that desire/delight/passion/joy have in both our obedience to the Lord and our bringing glory to His name. This book is Piper's work at addressing the common challenges people have when applying these concepts, and it succeeds in doing so. I found this to be one of the most helpful of all of Piper's books, and one which gives the reader a clear path for living in both grace and joy under even the most challenging of circumstances. Don't miss this book, it is a gold mine.

A profound, well-written book that addresses a critical facet of the Christian's relationship with God. A professor at Covenant Seminary in Saint Louis recommends this book as one of the three most important books he has ever read, and I wholeheartedly agree. In the mountain of Christian literature currently in print this book is diamond.

I'm in the middle of my third pass through this book. I find myself underlining new things, struck by Piper's passionate exhortation to trust God and fight for joy in Him. If you find yourself spiritually lazy and apathetic, I can't commend this book to you enough.

This book is EXCELLENT. John Piper writes well grounded in scripture and always relates his thoughts back to the focused intent of his writing. Its very thorough and balances emotion and heart with objective truth. This book points to Jesus Christ and can help you increase in faith and desire for God.