Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life

Timely message for my life and truths that I could share with others.

I really enjoyed and appreciated reading this book. We all know that waiting is getting harder and harder in the American life. Waiting is often not emphasized as a virtue in practice and only sometimes in word. The American world is often pushing us toward results and efficiency. This book offers us to take a step back and examine how we view "waiting".I want to make it known that the tone of the book is really good. It is someone who recognizes the struggle and is more inviting than demanding in his message. There is even a whole chapter seemingly dedicated to acknowledging that waiting is hard. I think the way that the message is delivered in this book is helpful towards the message.The most interesting part to me about the book was the biblical example of how much God's people have waited. If we think about it, we recognize this fact. To this day, we wait for the return of Christ. However, even within the day-to-day lives of biblical characters we find this time of waiting. Whether it's Abraham or the early church in Acts, we see that God asks His people to wait. This biblical example was encouraging to me.There is a lot of good practical advice in the book. My favorites were to remember who God is. There was something to the effect of "mapping God's historical faithfulness" and "shifting focus less on what I know of the future and more on what I know about God". Also reshaping our view of waiting. Thinking of ourselves as watchmen and seeing "waiting" more as an active task than a passive one.The book is well-written and has a biblical lesson. I'd gladly recommend it. There are more great insights than what I have listed.

Great time for a great read! With the way society is nowadays, it feels like the Lord will be coming back any time. Since we truly have NO idea when He is coming back, it can be difficult to swallow the idea that it may not actually be any time soon.But, in the waiting and the hurting, there is peace and joy. Life doesn't have to be miserable. If you are in a season where things just aren't working out in your life, give this book a read. Better yet, give Jesus a chance to change your life! What do you have to lose?

I so enjoyed this book. Learning to be patient is hard no matter how old you are. In today’s world we want answers instantly. But learning to wait gives joy in the end no matter the outcome. Recommend to any more who is weary of waiting.

They that wait on the Lord.....This review is for (their headline description):"Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life Paperback – June 25, 2024 "You know the rest.I heard a sermon recently that described waiting *not* as sitting around lifelessly (nodding off to sleep) but instead, twirling with delight anticipating the goodness of God.That, and reading a sample of this on the product page, got me interested in ordering this book.The simple:Here are the physical dimensions of this book:8" "tall"5 1/4" wide1/2" thickPrint size: about medium.A size convenient enough to stash in your bag for when you are somewhere.......*waiting*.I had read the introduction and then went out to do some, what else, *shopping* (I am, after all, Mister Shops Too Much).In the single lane that leaves the development where I live, in front of me was a *very.slow.truck*.As my impatience wanted to rear it's ugly head, I just laughed, having just read the intro to this book.But it didn't stop there.....every, yes *every*, traffic light on the way to my destination was (do I need to tell you???)....red.I just kept laughing.The thing about me ordering this book is, on the page I order from as a "Vine" reviewer, I first saw the cover, not realizing it was a book, thinking it was a poster.I liked the design and simple message, realizing it was something I needed to be reminded of.The writing style is conversational, and so far, relatable, not "heady" and not "you shame us, Christian, now go learn to wait...!".I think, as believers, somewhere, deep down, we *know* much of what is presented to us in this book.In my case, that knowledge needs to *not* be so "deep down".To confront (or remind) ourselves with the idea that maybe waiting is not punishment, it is not meant to be torture (yeah, I know...it *still* feels like it though) is a good thing."Rest in the Lord...wait *patiently* for Him. (Ps 37).Rest is, in a way, tied to waiting; so maybe we need to grab the opportunity to rest when we're forced to wait!Waiting is not or does not, have to be drudgery.Nice book, challenging for me, who blows a gasket just waiting for the Amazon delivery that the post office lost....Glad I ordered.I've given a 4 star rating based on initial impressions and concepts.Haven't master waiting yet though!I hope this review has been helpful and enables you to make an informed purchase decision.I rarely give an overall 5 star rating.

**Note: others complained about a mention of Enneagram early in the book (p. 3). There is NOTHING else about Enneagram in the book. So, even if you don't like that mention, I would urge you to keep reading!**I absolutely love this book! It has such timely advice for our fast-paced, impatient, data-driven society. It encourages why it is important to accept waiting and how to view it as God-ordained and necessary for life, and it goes on to provide practical biblically-based strategies for waiting. Since we are all going to face waiting at one time or another, it is critical to actually make use of waiting in a good way. I like the acronym FAST to help you think more deeply about what you should DO while waiting: focus, adore [God], seek, and trust. I love the variety of scriptures used, both from NT and OT, with lists at the end of the book in two appendices for useful scripture-based statements of how to view waiting. The book is both light theology AND practical, with life stories, at the same time. I am strongly considering using it as a base for class devotions for a future class as I'm a teacher. As a bonus, it's only about 100 pages of content, making it usable and not super intimidating in length. For me, a short and to-the-point book is much better than something super wordy or deep. I highly recommend this book!

This book arrived at exactly the right time in my life. If you have been feeling a little discouraged in a season of waiting, this is the book for you.