5For times when the world seems to be on pause, Christian leader, mentor, and author Krystal Ribble pairs biblical stories with the current familiar waiting periods of our lives, showing how we can be sure that God is with us while we wait.

Now more than ever, "Sit and Wait" seems to be on everyone's agenda. Weaving stories of waiting from familiar Bible characters, Love Me in the Waiting helps readers to consider that the waiting times in life are always full of purpose, even if they aren't seen or felt. In Love Me in the Waiting readers will be encouraged as they wait, learning how they can benefit from the timeless wisdom of those who waited before us. In doing so, they can draw strength and comfort from these collected stories and know they're not alone in the waiting seasons.

A companion to the waiting you're sitting through right now or have experienced in the past, Love Me in the Waiting takes readers through ten different biblical passages, focused on:

1. Waiting for the Storm to Pass
2. Waiting for New Life
3. Waiting for Love
4. Waiting for Forgiveness
5. Waiting in the Wilderness
6. Waiting for Your Future
7. Waiting for Your Troubles to Pass
8. Waiting for Deliverance
9. Waiting on the World to Change
10. Waiting for the Resurrection, Here and Now

These passages--including the stories of Noah, Sarah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Job, Daniel, Habakkuk, and Lazarus--help anyone yearning for meaning to understand their seasons of waiting and answer questions like:

• Why is the Lord taking so long to give me the ending He's promised?
• What is He doing or teaching me while I'm waiting?
• How do I wait on a promise that I can't see?
• How can I support my loved one who is in a season of waiting?

When your patience has worn thin or you're beginning to doubt God will be around for you, take heart from the pages of scripture. This book shows that modern experiences of waiting are similar in many ways to those who have come before, and that we have more in common with our spiritual ancestors than we realize. God will never waste a minute of your waiting, and Love Me in the Waiting provides a reminder of that truth for us all.

Praise for Love Me in the Waiting

Increasingly, we have come to expect everything in an instant. Vaccine production that once took a decade is now delivered at 'warp speed.' Our favorite TV shows and films are now delivered to us 'on demand' in the comfort and convenience of our own homes. Fast food restaurants deliver our meals to us in less than a minute. At home, we have the options of instant rice, instant oatmeal, instant grits, with Instant-Pots and microwaves to assist. Our hand-held devices deliver breaking news from home and abroad. . .instantly. The instantness of almost everything has, for Christians especially, caused many to devalue the centuries-long virtue of delayed gratification through waiting. Even the greatest saints of scripture did not receive all the promises in their lifetimes, because they were looking toward a 'better country' whose architect and builder is God. In their waiting, and precisely because of their waiting, they found fertile soil that satisfied them in their waiting--soil that connected them to the source of joy Himself, who is Jesus Christ. Krystal does a wonderful job helping us reconnect with this soil.

Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of several books, including Jesus Outside the Lines and A Gentle Answer.

Our days are filled with moments that sometimes compile into long waiting periods. Now, more than ever, people are experiencing the world at a slower pace. Waiting for our lives to 'go back to normal' has been an unwelcomed definition of what truly waiting looks like. In Love Me in the Waiting, Krystal explores the 'why' of the waiting and 'how' we can wait, not only better, but more successfully than we ever have. The Bible gives us a great guidebook on how to wait well if we choose to see it that way. Do yourself a favor and dive into these words of wisdom to help you navigate uncertain seas in your life.
Mark Batterson, New York Times best selling author of The Circle Maker, Lead Pastor of National Community Church

Waiting. It's not my favorite thing; most of us would say the same. What do we do when we're doing all we can and we still find ourselves waiting? Waiting for opportunity, waiting for healing, waiting for breakthrough, waiting for some sign that it won't always be this way...waiting can be taxing and deflating, and can even cause us to doubt things we thought we knew about God. Krystal shows us in Love Me in the Waiting that the waiting seasons are not without purpose. God wants us whole and He wants us free, and He'll often take us on a journey of discovery before we get to the fulfillment of what we hope for. God has your back and He wants what is best for you. Krystal's book is a timely encouragement that God is for us and will not forsake us, even in the middle of the most trying times.

Dave Dummitt, Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois