Don’t Let Go

I had a friend
send this to me the other day in response to one of my blogs. It is an email she received from her sister. Now, I would
never suggest that this is the best way to get saved, but I have learned to rejoice
in the fact that God does not fit into most of our boxes, and I say, “Whatever
it takes.”

The second part is what she sent from John Piper; he is one of
my teachers via his books and revelation, an amazing man of God. First, here’s the email
I received. She was telling her sister of her experience of true
salvation:

At first, I
pretended that my reasoning was high-minded and philosophical. But really I just
wanted to drink gallons of cheap sangria and sleep around. Four years of this
and I was strung out, stupefied and generally pretty low. Especially when I was sober or
alone.

My parents, who
are strong believers and who raised their kids as well as any parents I’ve ever
seen, were brokenhearted and baffled. I’m sure they
were wondering why the child they tried to raise right was such a ridiculous
screw-up now. But God was in control.

One Tuesday
morning, before 8
o’clock, I went to the library to
check my e-mail. I had a message from a girl I’d met a few weeks before, and her
e-mail mentioned a verse in Romans. I went down to the Circle K and bought a
40-ounce can of Miller High Life for $1.29.

Then, I went back to where I was
staying, rolled a few cigarettes, cracked open my drink, and started reading
Romans. I wanted to read the verse from the e-mail, but I couldn’t remember what
it was, so I started at the beginning of the book. By the time I got to chapter
10, the beer was gone, the ashtray needed emptying and I was a
Christian.

The best way I
know to describe what happened to me that morning is that God made it possible
for me to love Jesus. When He makes this possible and at the same time gives you
a glimpse of the true wonder of Jesus, it is impossible to resist His
call.

From John Piper:

Don’t Let
Go

“Those who sow
in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!” (Psalm 126:5, ESV). My main memory of
Abraham’s prodigal years is tears. As I knelt in prayer, I would remember the nine-year-old Abraham walking with me to 6:30
a.m. winter prayer
meetings-willingly. I would take hold of Jesus’ cloak and
cry:

“Oh Jesus,
please, don’t let go of him.”

He was never
more than a breath away. One moment I would be rejoicing over some simple
blessing, and then suddenly he was there, a heaviness,
an ache. I would wonder what he was doing. And I would pour another prayer into
the great censer before the throne.

Then there was
fear. Will he destroy himself? Will he ruin a girl’s life? Will he get a
disease? Will he turn out to be an Esau? To survive, I had to make the daily
transfer: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).
Every day, the sorrow was new. Every day, sustaining mercies were new
(Lamentations 3:23).

All the while,
God was making me a broken-hearted pastor. God loves His people through the pain
of His shepherds. None of our sufferings is wasted. We do not graduate from the
seminary of sorrows in this life. But oh, how glad I am that this class is over,
and Abraham is home. Thank You, Jesus, for not letting
go.

John Piper is the pastor for
preaching at Bethlehem
Baptist
Church in
Minneapolis.