Waiting Isn’t a Waste
Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life
By: Mark Vroegop
“Waiting on God is living on what I know to be true about God when I don’t know what’s true about my life.”
I hate waste. Wasted food, wasted money, wasted time, wasted opportunities, wasted words.
When I saw the title of this book I knew I needed to read it. So much of life is spent waiting in some form or another and I needed to be able to see how it wasn’t a waste.
I loved Vroegop’s book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, and this is almost an extension of that book. Although that book focuses on the idea of lamenting and how we struggle through our grief, the principles he directs us to in both books are similar.
He points us to the person of God. Who is God when we hurt? Who is God when we are waiting? The answer is the most important part of both journeys. We trust God in the pain because we know what is true about him. We trust God in the waiting because we know what is true about him.
We may not know what is true about our lives or what’s next, but what is true about God is unchanging, unlike our circumstances or our feelings. He is consistent, reliable, trustworthy, loving, just, and true.
I like how Vroegop divided this book. The chapters are titled in answer to the question ‘how do we wait on God’ because it’s not a matter of if or when. We’re in it now, so let’s not waste this time.
He exhorts us to wait:
Honestly (waiting is hard)
Frequently (waiting is common)
Thoughtfully (waiting is biblical)
Patiently (waiting is slow)
Intentionally (waiting is commanded)
Collectively (waiting is relational)
Waiting is always seen as a negative thing. In a world where convenience and speed is the order of the day, we do everything we can to avoid waiting. It’s shocking how incapable we are of waiting.
It was really convicting to think about shifting my mindset on waiting to view it from a biblical lens. To expect to wait. To understand that God factored that into the creation of the world on purpose.
“God designed waiting in the world and in redemption so that he’s central, not you or me. The frequency of waiting confronts our desire for control.”
If we stop acting surprised or frustrated when we are forced to wait and we start seeing it as an opportunity to express faith, for one our attitude changes, but two, what we do in that gap of life becomes a lot more active and productive.
Vroegop doesn’t sugarcoat waiting as if it’s all rainbows and butterflies. As he shares in his other book, he is no stranger to pain, grief, and really hard times of waiting. This isn’t a book that presents the power of positive thinking as the recipe to contentment and satisfaction.
He just takes something that the world has a constructed a perception and worldview around (waiting) and removes the blinders for us. He calls us back to God’s design for waiting.
“Waiting is the spiritual posture of endurance.”
He says that he’s not a fan of acronyms but because in those moments it’s hard to think or recall too deeply, he made an exception for this.
He uses FAST to help reorient his perspective and his mindset in the waiting:
Focus: The picture he gave here was of a sickly person coming outside to be warmed by the sun. I found this a really compelling image and one I can definitely relate to. To be in the light. To lift my face to the warm sun and feel it wash over me. It’s the picture of looking to God in our cold and dark waiting times. It’s letting him and who he is cover me and penetrate to my bones reminding me it’s going to be okay.
Adore: “worshipfully rehearse what you know to be true about God.” He offers a list of relevant Scriptures in the back of the book to meditate on. I think reflecting on really well-written lyrics of worship songs can do this as well. We may think ‘Oh I already know who God is’ but it’s something very different to read the words repeatedly, or out loud, or write them down, or to pray them that connects our knowledge to our hearts.
Seek- “it is active not fatalistic resignation.” I think this is an important distinction because if we believe in God’s sovereignty, it’s tempting to just say we’re going to wait it out because what’s the point, God’s going to do what he wants to do. But that’s not biblical waiting. I like how he says, “patient waiting is not fatalistic or pessimistic. It’s the hopeful commitment to seek God’s help creatively and faithfully while staying put.”
Trust- “embrace by faith the contentment and spiritual rest that come from knowing God can be trusted.” Waiting typically generates anger or anxiety because waiting takes away our control and the ability to be certain about what comes next. If we are trusting, we don’t have to be fearful or anxious. If we are seeing God for who he is and seeking to see him at work in our waiting, there won’t be room for anger or anxiety.
Throughout the book Vroegop walks through Psalm 40 and quotes extensively from Andrew Murray’s work to show us how a Christian is called to wait.
Waiting is an act of obedience. Waiting is abiding. Waiting connects us to hope. Waiting gives feet to our faith, even if those feet are called to be still instead of run around in circles. Waiting isn’t about what is happening to us, but what could happen in us.
Not only as a human being who has to wait way more than I would like to, but also as a mother of four children who think 30 seconds is an eternity, this book gave me a lot to think about. My kids hate waiting and they will basically never not have to wait so why not stretch their waiting ‘muscle’ now. To teach kids this from an early age would be hugely beneficial in the long run because their expectations will already be adjusted.
The things we wait for as adults are heavier than the snack or screen time waits of children, but the principle doesn’t change.
I think this book is highly relevant and a great read for anyone.
As I’ve said, I hate wasted time, and I can promise you that reading this book is not a waste of yours.
“… they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:30
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” — Psalm 27:13-14
**Received a copy of this book from Crossway Books in exchange for an honest review.**
This book just released June 25, 2024. You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.
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