When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God--and Joy

John Piper is founder and lead teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. He served for thirty-three years as a pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is the author of more than fifty books, including Desiring God; Don’t Waste Your Life; and Providence.

John Piper has once again blessed the Body of Christ with his latest book, When the Darkness Will Not Lift. A small volume, portions of which are drawn from other of his larger works, it is its succinctness, I think, which enhances its impact.
The Introduction lays the foundation for what follows by discussing the nature and essence of spiritual darkness. Piper then moves into an eminently helpful treatment of justification, how it “severs [the] root of misery;” sanctification, and how confusing the two will kill joy in the believer.
The rest of the book is a tightly-packed, compassionate, insightful, practical, biblical tool for helping those who “wait for joy.” Piper touches on the physical/medical aspect of spiritual darkness, “the ground of assurance when we cannot see our faith,” “when a child of God is persuaded that he is not,” doing our duty in the midst of darkness, the place of thanksgiving, unconfessed sin, the role of Satan, and the danger of self-absorption. Don’t be fooled; at a mere 79 pages, this is not a fast read. You will want to go slowly and drink deeply, and also to benefit from the other sources noted. – Pamela Glass, Christian Book Previews.com