Absolutely loved this book....loved it. Have shared it w/ all of my reading friends.....

This book challenged me in many ways. I am a person of little patience and always want to know the ins and outs of everything going on. Life does not work that way and I struggle with leaving my current and future situations in God's hands. I struggle because I need a plan and I need to make sure it ends in a specific way.
The way I look at life has changed in little ways since reading this book but I do still struggle to let go. To appreciate the here and now while waiting for what's to come. If you have similar issues I would highly recommend this book.

We're all familiar with the story of Abraham and Sarah … how they were blessed by God to be the blessing for future nations and generations. Of how Abraham, the great man of faith, on hearing God's instruction to leave home, grabbed his family and did just that, not knowing where the Lord was leading them. But in Marlo Schalesky's marvellous book we hear from Sarah, we gain insight into her perspective, on being Abraham's wife and being wholly favoured by God not because she was a wife but because she too was the Lord's beloved.

I liked how Ms Schalesky set out each chapter: we start with a Scripture from Genesis which sets it up, then a short introduction before we "hear" from Sarah herself, well, the author's thoughts on what may have been going through Sarah's mind at the time, then a section "Waiting for Wonder" where the author explores what's to be discovered in the waiting and then finally "Who is this God?", a short section bringing back to the greatness and goodness of God.

Yes, there is some repetition across 14 chapters of exploring "waiting", however, there are some outstanding insights to be gleaned from the author's interpretation of Sarah's story that makes this book such a worthy resource on the subject. As Sarah and Abraham journeyed through many years of waiting the Lord drew them increasingly towards Himself, to a deeper intimacy and new devotion. This is what He calls each of us too. And that's the wonder of "waiting": our Creator woos us. To Himself in order that we discover our Lord in ways we could never have imagined and in so doing fresh perspectives on ourselves and His beloved.

I also appreciated the point that even when they received the blessing (yes, Sarah received it specifically too) from God of a child in a year's time, they were again tested. And again they initially struggled because of their inherent fears that had always inhibited them. "Sometimes we must go back in order to go forward. We must face the sin, the lies we live, those in ourselves and in the people close to us.We cannot receive the fulfilment of promises to bless the world when we are stepped in old fear, old deceptions, old sins."(loc 1357)

This so spoke to me. The Lord has something more for us but first of all we need to let go of the past and all its muck, whatever form it may take.

If you're presently in a season of waiting then buy this book. Ms Schalesky wrestles with Scripture and overlays aspects of waiting in her own life to provide an excellent insight into the wonders that can be gained from waiting.

Note: A special thank you to Abingdon Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.