“But the most obvious fact about praise – whether of God or any thing – strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless (sometimes even if) shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise – lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game – praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least…

I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmist in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value.

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.” (C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms, 93-5)

“There is the solution! We praise what we enjoy because the delight is incomplete until it is expressed in praise. If we were not allowed to speak of what we value and celebrate what we love and praise what we admire, our joy would not be full. So if God loves us enough to make our joy full, He must not only give us Himself; He must also win from us the praise of our hearts – not because He needs to shore up some weakness in Himself or compensate for some deficiency, but because He loves us and seeks the fullness of our joy that can be found only in knowing and praising Him, the most magnificent of all Beings. If He is truly for us, He must be fore Himself!” (John Piper, Desiring God, 49)

Reflections on the Psalms (Harvest Book)

C.S. Lewis. Mariner Books 1964, Paperback, 168 pages, $5.21

Earlier this year I remember struggling with the thought that the last time I truly felt a steady and consistent “joy” in my life was back in my college days at SBU. The culmination of that mental journey was an article that I titled Repentance… The Key to Joy? And once again I may be diving into this one a little early, because it is very new in my mind and spirit, but I often find it helpful to write my thoughts down.

My new favorite preacher is John Piper. He is the founder of Desiring God and the Pastor for Preaching of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ve been listening to his sermon podcasts while in my car for a few months now, and his enthusiasm for Scripture and Truth has forced me down this path of searching for more depth in my relationship with God. This newly found desire to become more passionate myself has naturally led me to his book which is appropriately titled Desiring God.

In the book (and his podcasts) he has introduced me to the phrase Christian Hedonism. I recall feeling a tad uncomfortable when I first heard the phrase; my initial response was that it seemed like an oxymoron – I’ve always viewed Hedonism as a bad thing! But now this Piper guy has me baffled, and yet in my bewilderment I’m being exposed to what very well may be becoming a reformation of my personal faith structure.

C.S. Lewis says, God in the Psalms is the “all-satisfying Object.” Psalm 16:11 states, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (ESV) If it is true that God is all-satisfying, then is it also true that to not enjoy God is dishonoring to him? Piper responds, “I must pursue joy in God if I am to glorify Him as the surpassingly valuable Reality in the universe. Joy is not a mere option alongside worship. It is an essential component of worship.”

The transformation has just begun, and I look forward to future posts.

The chief end of man is to glorify God
by
enjoying Him forever.

Desiring God

John Piper. Multnomah Books 2003, Paperback, 358 pages, $7.90