Waiting For Wonder by Marlo Schalesky

We don't like to wait. It's the not knowing, the time between the medical scan and the phone call with the report. It is waiting for the fulfillment of what you are sure God has promised. Schalesky takes us through the life of Sarah (Sarai) and her time of waiting to help us in ours.

Here are just a few of the lessons we learn from Sarah. God has purposes in causing the wait. For example, “He is the God who uncovers the deepest places of our shame and pain and promises to bless the whole world right from those very places.” Maybe there is something in us that has to die before the promise can be fulfilled. Maybe God is calling us to a deeper relationship with Him. Perhaps our waiting is aimed at a deeper devotion to Him. Maybe God is identifying ingrained patterns of fear within us. We learn what happens when we lose faith and follow the customs of our society and our plans go awry. We learn that God desires to restore us when we are so much less than He created us to be.

I like all the lessons Schalesky helps us learn from Sarah's life. “God plans everything precisely,” she writes. We can trust that our waiting is not some punishment but is rather part of God's timing.

I am always a little cautious when an author tries to recreate a biblical story, retelling it and putting thoughts and words into the characters' minds and mouths. Schalesky does that here. I would rather an author just adhere to the biblical account we have.

This is a good book for those waiting. Schalesky gives lots of insight and encouragement from Sarah's life and her own experiences. I recommend it for those learning to trust God in the inbetween times.

I am taking part in a blog tour of this book and you can read other reviews here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Marlo Schalesky is an award winning author of ten books. A regular speaker and columnist, she has published nearly 1,000 articles in various Christian magazines. She and her husband, their six children and various animals, live in a log home in Salinas, California. You can find out more at http://www.marloschalesky.com/ or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Abingdon, 272 pages. You can purchase a copy here.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Litfuse. My comments are an independent and honest review.