John Piper’s Letter

I am sure you are well aware by now of John Piper’s cancer. It has been good to see so many expressing concern and praying. I want to point out here his letter to his church which announced the cancer. You may have already read it. When I read it last week I was especially struck with his discussion of how and why this was good for him and for the church. He writes:

This news has, of course, been good for me. The most dangerous thing in the world is the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness. The news of cancer has a wonderfully blasting effect on both. I thank God for that. The times with Christ in these days have been unusually sweet.

When I first read the letter, I was lost at first for the referent to ‘this news.’ I wondered if it was referring to the immediately preceding paragraph about recovery time, etc. Then as I read on I understood he meant that the news of having cancer was good for him! To say that in such sincerity is a powerful example of grace at work and maturity lived out. This letter is a good example of pastoral leadership in the midst of difficulty and suffering. Here is a model for us to learn from.