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About the Book

There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. I invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast: "This much, O God, I want you."

Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives--whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our spirits for God. But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an arch-enemy. While our hunger for God--and Him alone--is the only thing that will bring victory.

Do you have that hunger for Him? As John Piper puts it: "If we don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great." If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God.

Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is this path of pleasant pain called fasting. It is the path John Piper invites you to travel in this book. For when God is the supreme hunger of your heart, He will be supreme in everything. And when you are most satisfied in Him, He will be most glorified in you.

First Edition 1997; Redesign 2013
Crossway Books (Wheaton, Illinois)

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Table of Contents

Introduction: A Homesickness For God

1. Is Fasting Christian?
New Fasting For The New Wine

2. Man Shall Not Live By Bread Alone
The Desert Feast Of Fasting

3. Fasting For The Reward Of The Father
Jesus’ Radical God-Orientation In Fasting

4. Fasting For The King’s Coming
How Much Do We Miss Him?

5. Fasting And The Course Of History
A Call For Discernment And Desire

6. Finding God In The Garden Of Pain
A Different Fast For The Sake Of The Poor

7. Fasting For The Little Ones
Abortion And The Sovereignty Of God Over False Worldviews

Conclusion: Why Does God Reward Fasting?
Appendix: Quotes And Experiences

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Translations

English-UK
Publisher: Inter-Varsity Press
ISBN: 9780851111933

Arabic
Publisher: Al Kalima
ISBN: NA

Chinese-Traditional
Publisher: A Kernel of Wheat Ministries
Purchase: Campus Books
ISBN: 1-932184-34-1

Czech
Publisher: Návrat domů
Purchase: Knihkupectvi.biz
ISBN: 80-7255-050-0

Dutch
Publisher: Uitgeverij Gideon
Purchase: PostorderBoekhandel.nl
ISBN: 90-6067-789-7

Korean
Publisher: Word of Life Press
Purchase: God People Mall
ISBN: 89-04-15389-1

Korean
Publisher: Blessed People Publishing Co.
Purchase: Blog Naver
ISBN: 978-89-6360-103-8-03230

Portuguese
Publisher: Editora Cultura Cristã
Purchase: Impacto Publiçacöes
ISBN: 89-04-15389-1

Romanian
Publisher: Editura Perla Suferinţeia
ISBN: 978-973-88299-0-9

Russian
Publisher: MIRT
Purchase: Christian Russian Book
ISBN: 978-5-88869-228-8

Spanish
Publisher: Publicaciones Andamio
Purchase: Amazon
ISBN: 84-87940-62-5

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Related Resources

• Do You Ever Fast for More of God’s Power? (article)
• Desiring God (book)
• Revival and Fasting (conference message)
• Interview with John Piper on A Hunger for God (interview)
• Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting (Part 1) (seminar)
• Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting (Part 2a) (seminar)
• Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting (Part 2b) (seminar)
• Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting (Part 3) (seminar)
• A Hunger for God (sermon series)