The Art of Waiting

‘Almost every part of our daily lives involves a mix of waiting, planning and anticipation. From the simplicity involved in waiting for a kettle to boil or a bus to arrive, to the emotion wrapped around the wait for a much-loved friend to step on to the platform from a cross-country train or for a phone call that might contain the news we dread….’

This book takes the reader through the Advent season, stretching to Christmas and a few days beyond and asks what we should do as we wait, why we’re asked to wait, and ultimately what it is we are waiting for. Its daily readings help us to understand how God uses everyday waiting times to parallel the journey that is our spiritual life.

Read an excerpt…

‘When I was at college, one of my friends told me how her Grandmother, Jean, kept a childhood promise to pray for her school friend Vivienne. Vivienne’s family didn’t attend the little mission hall in the village where Jean and Vivienne lived as children and, as this bothered the young Jean somewhat, she promised a bewildered but grateful Vivienne that she would pray for her-always. Vivienne and Jean lost touch just before the war, but Jean kept her word and never stopped praying for her friend. She also prayed for her own granddaughter-my friend Sue-right through Sue’s difficult teenage years. Sue eventually became a Christian, much to Jeans’ delight, and it was then that Jean told her about her lifelong prayers for friends and family-including Vivienne, and he hope that God would show her how her prayers had been answered.

Sue met Simon at a Christian Union training day. They got to know one another, fell in love and decided to get married. Inevitably, Sue was invited up to Scotland to meet Simon’s large extended family, and went off feeling somewhat nervous but intrigued, having heard that every adult in the 18- strong family was a Christian. Sue was warmly welcomed and enjoyed a wonderful weekend, but that wasn’t what brought her running into my college room on her return. During the course of the weekend Sue had met Simon’s grandmother-and yes-you’ve guessed it, Simon’s grandmother was Vivienne.

She had come to faith many years before and, remembering Jean’s promise and prayer, was sad that they had lost touch. Through a series of questions about Sue’s family, first to Simon, she had begun to put two and two together. When Sue agreed that this particular two and two did make four, Vivienne wept with joy.

On hearing the story, Jean simply smiled, closed her eyes and whispered the words, ‘At last. Thank you.’ Her waiting had been rewarded. Needless to say, the two grandmothers had quite a lot to say to each other at the wedding!’