Seasons of Waiting: Walking by Faith When Dreams are Delayed
by Betsy Childs Howard

Waiting is one thing most Christians have experienced before, and something most of us complain about.  Waiting stretches us.  It tests faith and reveals character.  It shows whether we deep-down trust God or not.  And, it’s usually uncomfortable. I’ve been through my own long waits for provision and fulfilled promises before, so I was excited to read Seasons of Waiting by Betsy Childs Howard.  

Overall, I felt her outlook on waiting offered a new, big-picture perspective.  She argues that what we wait for in the here-and-now illustrates how all of creation longed for a Savior and how we are all still longing for the return of Christ.  This made me realize how my own waiting means far more than just character-building or faith-growing in my own life.  I wait with creation. I wait with all humanity.  It helps me to pray in a new way and tap into a greater longing for God Himself rather than just whatever I’ve been seeking.

After an initial introduction to the greater context of waiting, Howard then offers a series of chapters on specific things many people wait a long time for:  Marriage, Children, Healing, a Home. This section of the book was, to me, okay.  I felt disappointed in the content because those aren’t really how I’m finding myself waiting.  It appears that this book was launched after an article the author wrote for The Gospel Coalition on being, at that time, a single Christian woman.  But when she transferred that to book form, it felt too audience-specific.  Howard does make attempts to broaden the audience in each chapter, reminding us that those waiting for a human husband represent the bride waiting for the return of Christ.  This was mildly helpful, but still left me wanting more.

At only 98 pages, this book ended up far shorter than I expected and didn’t really delve into the greater spiritual lessons on waiting that I wanted.  I didn’t need to read about specific waiting scenarios.  I wanted to follow the journey of those who waited in Scripture.  I wanted to know what to do in the waiting, how to pray in the waiting, how to serve others in the waiting, how to be content in the waiting, and the like.   To me, the book could have replaced the middle content with much deeper lessons on a subject we all need to learn more about since we’ve all been in a season of waiting before (or are in a season like that now). Of course, for others who are waiting for marriage, or children, etc., this book may feel particularly relevant and helpful.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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