In and Out of Season
Yesterday I was skimming over some sermons on prayer at the Desiring God site. I like to sometimes compare my notes to some of Piper’s sermons to see if my conclusions about the text I am currently studying are right! I found an interesting section in a sermon called Sweet “Our” of Prayer from 1987. Apparently his church took a spiritual health evaluation and assessment. The results did not appeal to the liking of Pastor Piper. Here is what he said:
According to last Sunday night’s survey which 255 of those in attendance filled out, 40% of our people said they read the Bible fewer than three times a week. 46% said they read the Bible on an average of less than five minutes a day. And 59% of our people do not set aside a daily time for prayer.In the several hours after I saw these results of our questionnaire I went through five stages of emotions—from the less to the more mature I think.1. The Desire to QuitMy first emotion was the desire to quit. If six and a half years of work produces no more devotion than this, maybe I am not in the right calling after all. I think that was about 90% self-pity. And last Sunday night’s message about perseverance (1 Corinthians 15:58) had to be brought in for the counter attack.2. AngerMy second emotion was anger—at the worldliness of so many hearts and at the forces of this world that hold so many Christians in bondage. That the Word of God and communion with him in prayer are so far down on the real life priorities of so many people is a sign of much love for the things of the world. But then I preached to myself the sermon on James 1:19 (“Be slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God”).3. GriefThe third emotion that rose up in my heart was a kind of grief and disappointment that we will probably be powerless as a church to make any significant impact on this city if our dependence on prayer and our thirst for the Word of God is so small. It was a sobering postscript to last Sunday morning’s sermon about the possibilities of reforming this city.4. ContritionThe fourth emotion was contrition—a sense of being rebuked and broken for thinking that Bethlehem is some kind of remarkable church, when in fact it is a weak and sinful church with a weak and sinful pastor, all in desperate need of the out-pouring of God’s Spirit.5. LongingAnd the final emotion that has begun to flicker is a longing, I believe the longing of love, that somehow by God’s grace I might be used to make the Word of God as attractive and enjoyable for you as it was for David when he said, “Oh, how I love thy law! I it is my meditation all the day . . . How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:97, 103). (John Piper, Sweet “Our” of Prayer)
I think we labor under the delusion that “successful” people in ministry never struggle with their own sin or ineffectiveness in ministry. They do! Often I want to see the fruitfulness of my labors rather than focus on the faithfulness of my labors. We are not guaranteed fruit. We are commanded to be faithful in all things and not sell out to the idols of success and influence. Thankfully 23 years after this sermon, Piper remains faithful to His calling.
GB
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