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John Piper's Journey From Pulpit to Poetry
John Piper more from this author »
Desiring God
After preaching on the inestimable value of God’s inspired word on August 11th, I was so moved that the desire to say it again another way kept urging me on. So I wrote this poem.
The Truth
A Meditation on 2 Timothy 3:14–17
Stay, Timothy. Stay in this firmament,
This world of light within the world. Relent
From wandering, from chasing mist. Remain!
Outside awaits the glistening world, insane.
Stay, Timothy. This sky, this vast terrain
Where you now stand, is not a painting, vain.
Nor is your mother fanciful. God wrought
This world. You were not fooled, but brought.
Stay, Timothy. A thousand flowers, fraught
With heaven's milk and holy fragrance ought
To make you stop, so strewn with deity
This sacred garden spreads. Eternally.
Stay, Timothy, my son, and do not be
A fool. The brightness here is how you see
Your way to heav'n. And there is shadowing
That shows in silhouette your shining King.
Stay, Timothy. Remember, everything
In this bright world is beneficial. Sing,
And feast on holy food, and taste the way
Of love. Then it will be your joy to stay.
John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, where he first sensed God's call to enter the ministry. He went on to earn degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary and the University of Munich. For six years he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem. John is the author of more than 30 books, and more than 25 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and an increasing number of grandchildren.
