I told myself, “I’m in a period of waiting, but I don’t want to be. When will all this waiting be over?” Literal days later, the book When God Says Wait by Elizabeth Laing Thompson appeared while I was scrolling on social media. I immediately ordered a copy, and I’m so glad I did!
When God Says Wait is written for women, no matter what they’re waiting for. A job, true love, a baby, a friend, a home–we’re all waiting for something. For me, personally, the waiting weighs so heavy on my shoulders that I have often found myself ignoring my many blessings and answered prayers. I’m utterly consumed by the waiting. Just like the book explains, when God says “wait,” we don’t know for how long. And waiting is a form of suffering. BUT Thompson beautifully articulates that though there is much out of our control while we wait, we can control HOW we wait and who we become along the way.
Each chapter begins with a Biblical narrative centered around waiting. In the book, we see such Biblical figures as David, Miriam, Sarah, and Joseph, Naomi, and Mary and Martha, who had to wait on God in their own time. We also here Thompson’s personal struggles with waiting in her own life. The chapters end with recommended scripture reading for further study, recommended journal prompts, and a prayer prompt.
Reading Thompson’s own struggles and how though some waiting is over, she still endures waiting in other avenues of life, was eye-opening for me. Everyone is waiting for something. I can’t keep telling myself I’ll be happy WHEN…I’ve got to learn to be happy even in the waiting. I don’t want my life to pass me by, while I’m waiting. I don’t want to grow bitter while I’m waiting. I want to recognize all the answered prayers (both yes and no) that have shaped my life to date. I want to glorify God for all that He has done, and I want to hope that my waiting will be rewarded, even if it is not how I imagine it.
The story of Lazurus as appeared in Thompson’s book, struck me in a way it never had before. Mary and Martha wanted a healing, but instead, they got a resurrection. Think about that: they wanted a healing, but instead, they got a resurrection! How magnificent is that? It is true, I don’t know if my waiting will turn into nos or more not-right-nows or yeses or yes but even better. But how comforting is it to know that God hears our prayers, every prayer, and that through our waiting, we better grow into the people God needs us to be!
Whatever you are waiting for right now, don’t wait to read this book. This book has uplifted my spirit, and I will never stop recommending it.
Order your copy of When God Says Wait here!