In today’s culture, waiting can seem like a constant nuisance. Whether it’s waiting in line, at the doctor’s office or in traffic, we are often presented with the struggle of not being in control of our own time. Likewise, believing God when a promise is new is easy, but it’s hard when the years pass and nothing changes. It’s harder still when desperation strikes, plans backfire and God does not seem to fill the emptiness. In Waiting for Wonder: Learning to Live on God’s Timeline Marlo Schalesky encourages readers to think differently about our waiting periods of life.
The idea of waiting is directly opposed to our culture’s incessant message of quick results, instant gratification and personal success. We’re taught that setting our mind, dreaming big and taking action are all that’s needed to make a change. God, however, has a different plan. In Waiting for Wonder, Schalesky takes readers on a unique, contemplative journey examining the life of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, to reveal the wonder that is often missed when we find ourselves struggling to wait well. “God’s timing is so very often not our timing,” Schalesky states. “My own heart shrinks from a life filled with decades of promises still not come true, of desperate prayers that groan through months turned to years. I wrestle with the wonder of waiting.”
Each chapter recounts a significant event in Sarah’s life and an important discovery about God’s character that is revealed during times of waiting. Through Sarah’s experiences, readers can better understand God’s glory shines brightest when human plans go awry, human strength falters and human efforts fail. Like Sarah, the author also had a 20-year journey through infertility, yet Waiting for Wonder