"My Desire"

I read something today that made me cry.

Not because it was sad, but because it was beautiful.

One of my favorite authors and theologians, John Piper, in two paragraphs, described God. He used a simple word picture and everyday language. No Greek. No Hebrew. No plumbing the depths of his vast theological training. Just a simple example connected to a profound spiritual truth.*

And I bawled like a baby.

I cried because his writing put skin on God. He took God’s lofty grandeur and brought it down to me, a very unlofty and ungrand human being. I often struggle to grasp the magnitude of God. I wonder, how can he love me? Why does he love me? To what extent does he love me?

In a few short paragraphs, Piper made God so personal that I wept with love and gratitude.

Wow. 

Oh, how I want to do that. 

I want to be able to describe God so well that others are amazed—not by the beauty of my writing, but by the beauty of my Savior.

Father, reveal yourself to me so I can reveal you to others.

I want to share God so transparently that others feel my arms around their shoulders and know I’m walking the faith path with them, not scowling down from a lofty pinnacle.

Father, remove my fear of man and give me a healthy fear of you. Strip me of the sin of pride that wants others to see only the brightest parts of my life. Help me tell the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth.

I want to eliminate anything from my writing that will cause others to stumble in their pursuit of Jesus.

Father, help me learn the craft of writing so well that nothing I write prevents my readers from understanding your truth.

I want to be so in love with God that his love splashes onto every post I write, every article I pen, and every book I create.

Father, draw me near. Keep me close. Guard my heart. Fill my mind. I want to rest so confidently in God’s care that when I hear the enemy of my soul whispering lies, I can point to the cross and never doubt (Romans 8:32). Father, help me say with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”

I want to love God well, point others to him, and glorify him with everything I do.

If this is your prayer, too, may God hear from heaven and answer our plea.

Lord, be pleased with the work of our hands and use it to draw others to yourself.

You may not be a writer, but your life tells a story that others around you are reading. Which chapters bring him glory? Share them. Which chapters bring him shame? Ask God to redeem them. Which chapters are still unwritten? Commit them to God so the final chapter of your life story will include the words, “'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord'” (Mat. 25:21).


*The passage I read, “Hugging God’s Neck Takes Away Fear,” is on pages 96-97 of John Piper’s latest book, What Jesus Demands from the World.

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