When the Darkness Will Not Lift by John Piper is an expansion of a chapter from his larger work, When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight For Joy. It is an excellent and brief (only 79 pages) book on the Christian who struggles with feelings of despair and melancholy. Rather than summarize, I gave some snippets that give you a taste of the book's flavor.
Where should you start? Start at the easiest place for those in darkness. Start with despair. Despair of finding any answer in yourself. I pray that you will cease from all efforts to look inside yourself for the rescue you need. I pray that you will do what only desperate people can do, namely, cast yourself on Christ. (p 21)
It is utterly crucial that in our darkness we affirm the wise, strong hand of God to hold us, even when we have no strength to hold him. (p 37)
Stop looking at your faith, and rivet your attention on Christ. Faith is sustained by looking at Christ, crucified and risen, not by turning from Christ to analyze your faith. (p 41)
We must say that joy is part of your duty. The Bible says, “Rejoice always” (1 Thess. 5:16). And in regard to the duty of giving, it says, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). In regard to the duty of service, it says, “Serve the Lord with gladness” (Ps. 100:2). In regard to the duty of mercy, it says do it “with cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:8). In regard to the duty of afflictions, it says, “Count it all joy” (James 1:2). (p 49)
Be sure to thank God as you work that he has given you at least the will to work. ... Your aim in loosing your tongue with words of gratitude is that God would be merciful and fill your words with the emotion of true gratitude. You are not seeking the praise of men; you are seeing the mercy of God. You are not hiding the hardness of ingratitude, but hoping for the inbreaking of the Spirit. (p 51)
Sometimes the darkness of our souls is owing in part to the fact that we have drifted into patterns of life that are not blatantly sinful but are constricted and uncaring. ... Paradoxically, depressed persons may say that they must care for themselves and cannot take on the problems of the world, when in fact part of the truth may be that their depression is feeding on the ingrown quality of their lives. (pp 61-2)
I would mention in particular the life-giving, joy-producing effect of sharing your faith with unbelievers by word and deed. ... Joy in Christ thrives on being shared. That is the essence of Christian joy: It overflows or dies. (pp 64-5)
If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11-12 (ESV)
The book can be read online or downloaded for free at Desiring God .
2 comments:
Right on, bud. I was helped by this book. I intend to pass it on.
In the "five views" book on law and gospel, just read Moo's chapter. It's the only one you need. Seriously, everything else is just over simplistic (VanGemeren) or just plain wrong.
Thanks - I'll skip to the end and consider it done.
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