Desiring God by John Piper
Week 6: Chapter 5 — Prayer: The Apex of Christian Hedonism
Read Chapter 5 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: John 16:24; Psalm 37:4; Matthew 7:7–11.
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Prayer is where the rubber of Christian Hedonism meets the road — it is the place where our desire for God either grows or reveals itself to be counterfeit.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Piper calls prayer "the apex" of Christian Hedonism. What does he mean? Why is prayer — rather than worship or Bible reading — the highest expression of the pursuit of joy in God?
2.Jesus says in John 16:24, "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." Piper treats this as one of the most direct biblical connections between prayer and joy. What does it mean that joy is the stated purpose of answered prayer? How does this reframe the way you approach asking God for things?
3.Piper quotes Psalm 37:4 — "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart" — and makes the striking argument that when we truly delight in the Lord, what we desire and what God desires for us begin to converge. Have you experienced this kind of convergence in your own prayer life? What does it feel like?
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