Articles by Desiring God

Scott Hubbard | When the apostle Paul lost his legalism, he did not lose his discipline — not even a little. So what did he know about discipline that we may not?

Marshall Segal | A healthy, godly use of alcohol remains vigilant against at least five great dangers of alcohol.

Joe Rigney | If we love our children, we sometimes must say no. But we would do well to think carefully about how, and how often, we say no.

Greg Morse | The last picture of the church in Scripture shows a bride looking up to heaven, crying out, “Come!” Do we still look and long for our Lord’s return?

David Mathis | Jesus rose and ascended, then his Father seated him on heaven’s throne. But what is he doing right now up there where he’s been sitting for centuries?

Scott Hubbard | In the midst of suffering, it can be hard to imagine how all this heartache could possibly end in glory. That’s why God didn’t leave us to our imaginations.

Jon Bloom | Any Christian who lives in a cursed world like ours will need to learn resilience, and God hasn’t left us without staggering examples to follow.

Marshall Segal | If you want to pursue greater clarity in a dating relationship, look carefully in three directions: your desire, your community, and your opportunity.

Joe Rigney | An ancient proverb teaches us that we are to aim at more than just our children’s obedience. More than anything, we want their hearts.

Scott Hubbard | “Up and be doing.” It’s not the only wise counsel to give to someone walking through doubt or spiritual darkness, but it might be the counsel some need to hear most.

Greg Morse | Though our experience may tell us to expect few conversions, few baptisms, and no grand spiritual movements, the God who revives and awakens is still our God today.

David Mathis | Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter — the best stories reward re-reading. And none matches the one we rehearse each spring as Easter approaches.

Greg Morse | Christianity without Christ is a sunless solar system, a waterless ocean, an airless sky. Yet how subtly and easily we who name Christ can lose sight of him.

Marshall Segal | What would life be like if you were unafraid of death? If you knew death would really be gain, what kind of life might you be free to live?

David Mathis | In the healthiest churches, we find a holy conspiracy between pastors who gladly care for the sheep, and sheep who do what they can so that the pastors might serve joyfully.

Jon Bloom | The wisdom we need in this world often wears black. Painful as they are, all our deaths and endings hold lessons we cannot live wisely without.

Greg Morse | When was the last time you cried over someone’s soul? Do you ever ask God to make the tears flow again?

Scott Hubbard | In Paul’s final meeting with a group of pastors, he gives them four marks of faithful teaching — the kind of teaching God uses to win the world.

Marshall Segal | For many Christians, our greatest danger is not that we will suddenly run from Jesus, but that we will slowly, subtly drift away.

Joe Rigney | Our homes need men who see with clarity, stand with stability, and act with wisdom. We need resilient, sober-minded fathers.

David Mathis | To think seriously about Christ and his word, you will need to push your brain. And if you want to push your brain, you may need to push your body.

Greg Morse | They sang with us in church, confessed to be Christ’s, renounced the world and Satan — and later walked away. How can we make sense of such painful apostasies?

Marshall Segal | No one asks for suffering. But when it comes through the hands of our wise and loving Father, we can do more than tolerate it. We can rejoice, even in this.

Joe Rigney | Have you considered how wonderful it is to draw near to the God who now and always lives?

Scott Hubbard | The gnawing ache of hopes unmet and prayers unanswered tries our faith. But God is with us in our waiting. None who trust in him to the end will be disappointed.

Greg Morse | Does Sunday morning feel like a gathering before almighty God? We can far too easily lose sight of what we’re doing when we come together to worship.

David Mathis | Christians know ourselves called to love (and keep loving) difficult people. Fewer of us may realize that this hard path is also the path of joy.

Scott Hubbard | How can a husband lead his marriage into God-glorifying mission? He might begin by taking three modest steps: dream, draw, and do.

Marshall Segal | Technology can help dating relationships, and technology can hurt them. Unfortunately, many assume the former, while living the latter.

Jon Bloom | Some three centuries ago, a hymn appeared that has comforted countless hearts in the deepest pain of grief and loss: “Be Still, My Soul.”

Joe Rigney | Many see how the wicked prosper and abandon the costly path of faith and godliness. If only they could see where each path leads.

Greg Morse | The look-at-me prayer of the Pharisee and the say-more prayer of the pagan both find their cure in the simple Godward sincerity of the Lord’s Prayer.

Scott Hubbard | In one sense, it’s never been easier to move — to find a new job, a new home, a new church. In another sense, it’s never been better to stay.

David Mathis | Christians believe in good. They look for good. And they do good because, at bottom, they are lovers of good.

Marshall Segal | Many Christians pray at every meal and often thank God for giving them daily bread. But how many pray as often about forgiveness?

Joe Rigney | C.S. Lewis wrote a book on prayer in which he pens four words that might change your prayer life: “Begin where you are.”

Scott Hubbard | How can you walk in God’s will for your life? Do the will you already know. Discern the will you don’t.

Greg Morse | If we could hear all that our grumbling says, we would be slower to murmur and quicker to seek more joy in God.

Marshall Segal | God gave us the Bible to reveal himself, not to hide himself. So whoever you are, you can understand the Bible.

David Mathis | Few prayers are more familiar than “Hallowed be your name,” yet few prayers also are less understood. What do we mean when we ask God for the hallowing of his name?

Scott Hubbard | Do you want to overcome temptation? Remember how others have fallen. Be prepared for escape to be hard. And trust that God won’t flee.

Jon Bloom | God wants us to relate to him not as mere subjects to a king, nor as mere sheep to a shepherd, but also as children to a loving, generous Father.

Marshall Segal | If you could see your “ordinary” work through the perspective and pleasure of God, it might not feel so ordinary anymore.

David Mathis | For some, checking the boxes in Bible reading could put the focus and emphasis in the wrong place. Daily devotions are not about completing a task, but encountering the risen Christ.

Jon Bloom | The king Israel wanted was not the king Israel needed. The king they wanted would have exacted justice; the King they received purchased them mercy.

David Mathis | Christmas still enchants our unbelieving society because even as democratic as we may pretend to be, deep down we cannot shake our longings to be ruled — by the supremely benevolent King.

Greg Morse | Of all the sights in heaven and earth, only one can satisfy the ravenous eyes of man: Jesus Christ in all his glory.

Scott Hubbard | God “gives to his beloved sleep,” Solomon says. So how do we respond when, despite our prayers and best efforts, God takes from his beloved sleep?

Joe Rigney | Wisdom from above is not merely about knowing what is true but knowing how to live. It addresses the head, heart, and hands.

Jon Bloom | What does it feel like to watch children leave the home? One father of five mourns with joy over what was — and gladly receives what is now and will be.