When I Don't Desire God

For over twenty-five years John Piper has trumpeted the truth that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." He calls it Christian Hedonism. The problem is that many people, after being persuaded, find that this truth is both liberating and devastating.

It's liberating because it endorses our inborn desire for joy. And it's devastating because it reveals that we don't desire God the way that we should. What do you do when you discover the good news that God wants you to be content in him, but then find that you aren't?

If joy in God were merely the icing on the cake of Christian contentment, this book would be insignificant. But Piper argues that joy is so much more. Our being satisfied in God is necessary to show God's worthiness and to sustain sacrifices of love.

Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. He tasted it. It sustained Him through the deepest suffering. His Father was glorified. His people were saved. That is what joy in God does.

The absolutely urgent question becomes: What can I do if I don't have it? With a pastor's heart and with radical passion for the glory of Christ, John Piper helps you answer that question.

Table of Contents:

Foreword and a Prayer
1. Why I Wrote this Book
   Sustaining the Sacrifice of Love
2. What Is the Difference Between Desire and Delight?
   Discovering How Both and Neither Is the Goal
3. The Call to Fight for Joy in God
   Taking God's Demand for Delight Seriously
4. Joy in God is a Gift of God
   Doing Ourselves What Must Be Done for Us
5. The Fight for Joy Is a Fight to See
   Valuing God Through the Eyes of the Heart and the Ears of the Head
6. Fighting for Joy Like a Justified Sinner
   Learning the Secret of Gutsy Guilt
7. The Worth of God's Word in the Fight for Joy
   Seeing the Measure of this Mighty Weapon
8. How to Wield the Word in the Fight for Joy
   Musing, Memorizing, and the Message of God
9. The Focus of Prayer in the Fight for Joy
   Desiring All Else Only Because We Desire God
10. The Practice of Prayer in the Fight for Joy
    Morning, Noon, and Evening Without Ceasing
11. How to Wield the World in the Fight for Joy
    Using All Five Senses to See the Glory of God
12. When the Darkness Does Not Lift
    Doing What We Can While We Wait for God—and Joy
    Notes
    Indexes