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Happily Ever After: Finding Grace in the Messes of Marriage, by John Piper, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, Francis Chan, and 10 other contributors
Marriage between sinners has its inevitable messes. If you’ve been married longer than a week or two, you know how the hard realities of life in a fallen age can come crashing in. Perhaps you had a season of “once upon a time,” but soon enough you realized that this marriage, in this world, is not yet your “happily ever after.”
Happily Ever After: John Piper on Marriage
We want to help. We believe that God designed marriage not as a trial to be endured, but as a pointer to and catalyst for your greatest joy. God didn’t design marriage to be your storybook ending, but a fresh beginning, to help get you ready for the true “happily ever after” when together we see our great Bridegroom face to face.
Happily Ever After is a collection of thirty devotional readings—from staff and contributors to desiringGod.org—to shape, challenge, and inspire you and your spouse’s (or fiancé’s) vision of marriage.
Authors
John Piper, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, Francis Chan, and 10 other staff and contributors to DesiringGod.org.
John Piper on marriage
Among the 30 devotions for couples in Happily Ever After, a dozen of them contain some of the greatest gems from John Piper on marriage. These include “Five Things Submission Does Not Mean,” “A Possible Marriage Saver in Nine Steps,” “The Single Key to Personal Change,”, “Just Forgive and Forebear?”, and “Should My Spouse Talk to Others About Our Marriage Struggles?” Eight more essays from John Piper on marriage address sex, love, conflict, holiness, and our entertainment choices. See the complete Table of Contents, below, for a full list of authors and topics.
Aaron Lee –
Are you working on our toward your marriage this Valentine’s Day? When God brought our son Linus into our lives, we knew we would have to look out for our marriage as we learn to love each other more. Published for DesiringGod by Cruciform Press, Happily Ever After is a book filled with 30 devotions for couples about finding grace in the messes of marriage.
30 Devotions
Those who read DesiringGod will find a familiar list of contributors. Marshall Segal, David Mathis, and of course, John Piper are present. You will also find Francis Chan, P. J. Tibayan, Douglas Wilson, and Don Whitney. But since this is a book for couples, women contributors are also featured and include Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth, Kim Cash Tate, and Stacy Reaoch.
These 30 devotions cover a wide range of topics. Everything from submission to sex is covered. And since this book is just over 100 pages, each devotion is less than 5 pages. They are short and simple but packed with spiritual truth.
For Couples
Each devotion typically focuses on one charter passage of Scripture. Often, practical steps or examples are included as an application. Some of the devotions read more poetically than others. But there is always a takeaway and talking points. In fact, each chapter concludes with a “Talk About It” section for discussion with your spouse.
I most appreciated Chapter 17: A Possible Marriage-Saver in Nine Steps. John Piper looks at Colossians 3:13 and tries to flesh it out in real life. It is a lesson on bearing with one another and forgiveness. I have seen the pattern play out in my marriage, and it is comforting to know that Christians can struggle in this regard. And Piper is right to point us to the Holy Spirit, patient and relentless, who does not let us go. It is a comforting word of hope and encouragement.
Finding Grace
This book is different than most marriage books. It is not presented as a guide or explainer. Rather, it is a devotional that is meant to draw couples closer together, press both into truth, and show Jesus and his bride as the meaning of marriage. It will take your eyes off of yourself, look past your spouse, and keep them focused on Christ.
I was provided a free copy of Happily Ever After but was not required to write a positive review.