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Sacred Waiting: Waiting On God In A World That Waits For Nothing
Thoughtful insights into the biblical concept of waiting and its application today written in the tradition of Andrew Murray and A. W. Tozer.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 25, 2022
Ah, nothing like remembering your Kindle Unlimited subscription is about to end to make you race through a lot of the books you want to.
This book was honestly disappointing. It wasn't bad, just not very helpful either. It started out good but quickly seemed to meander around and lose focus. I also felt like he started way to many things with statements like "churches today no longer care/teach about..." and most of what he says are things I've heard preached from the pulpit my whole life at many churches. That really isn't an issue, but it lessened my enjoyment of the book.
I would say that you might want to check out this book, but be willing to skim and grab the gems among the coal.
This book was honestly disappointing. It wasn't bad, just not very helpful either. It started out good but quickly seemed to meander around and lose focus. I also felt like he started way to many things with statements like "churches today no longer care/teach about..." and most of what he says are things I've heard preached from the pulpit my whole life at many churches. That really isn't an issue, but it lessened my enjoyment of the book.
I would say that you might want to check out this book, but be willing to skim and grab the gems among the coal.
July 4, 2017
Sacred Waiting by David Timms is an excellent resource on a misunderstood/undervalued principle: waiting. The waiting that is described in the book is not your typical just waiting in time but rather sacred. Hence the name sacred waiting. The first section is broken down into an introduction of presence and service as requisites of waiting. Then we follow the examples of biblical characters such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David and how waiting can be seen in their life stories.
Following this we see the liturgical calendar explained using waiting. The four periods are advent, lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Timms goes into specifics for each in regards sacred waiting on God.
Overall, I highly highly recommend this book to anyone interested in thinking outside-the box on how sacred waiting influences our relationship with God. This book definitely stimulated my thinking and helped me deepen my spiritual walk. I'll be sharing this one with others.
Following this we see the liturgical calendar explained using waiting. The four periods are advent, lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Timms goes into specifics for each in regards sacred waiting on God.
Overall, I highly highly recommend this book to anyone interested in thinking outside-the box on how sacred waiting influences our relationship with God. This book definitely stimulated my thinking and helped me deepen my spiritual walk. I'll be sharing this one with others.
June 5, 2017
This books has been so effective in changing my heart and mind towards what it means to truly wait on Jesus - not waiting for Him to do things, but serving him and spending time in His presence no matter what the circumstances. This has been an important book for me to read in this particular season of my life, and I'm so grateful! I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to serve Jesus.
June 6, 2024
This book was solid! It walks through different people in Bible history, with an eye on the ways they had to wait (or should have waited) on God. There is a great focus on the idea that if we practice “presence, service, and prayer” as we wait on God’s timing, it will yield a true richness, depth, and joy to our lives. I was really encouraged!
December 21, 2010
In our Western culture, it seems that there's little else that people despise more than waiting. Even as Christians, we are certainly not immune to wanting things done, done now, and done quickly. Even if we were to pray "Lord, give me patience" we might often find ourselves adding "...and HURRY!" Yet David Timms, in his new book Sacred Waiting, points out that waiting on God is exactly the mindset that we as Christians should have, but perhaps struggle with the most. Like our cultural contemporaries, we want things done according to our plan and our time table. As Timms writes, "If we have a problem right now, then right now would be a good time for the Lord to step in and deal with it." (p.14) The problem is that we see our lives as analogous to a waiter in a restaurant - except we've placed ourselves as the ones being served by God, our waiter.
Building on this analogy in the first half of the book, Timms shows how these roles should be reversed. He redefines the manner in which we are prone to think of waiting: sacred waiting is not "what we have to do between two points in time to get what we really want" but rather is "drawing closer to Him and responding to His leading." He looks at the lives of Noah (wait and endure), Abraham (wait and trust), Moses (wait and learn), David (wait and worship) and Jesus (wait and obey), and highlights different ways in which each one waited on God. Each chapter shows a different facet of what waiting on God looks like. I especially appreciated the chapters on the lives of Abraham and David. And by "appreciated" I mean that my toes got stomped on and my heart convicted about my lack of a Godward focus and desire.
In the second half of the book, Timms shows how waiting on God is seen in the calendar of the church: Advent, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Kingdom. It was this section that really brought home to me the universality of waiting on God and how it permeates every celebration of the church. In Advent waiting, we recognize our need and anticipation of a Deliverer, culminating in the birth of Christ. During Lent, we wait and fast in acknowledgement of our need of and hunger for God. During Easter, we celebrate the fact of the Lord's resurrection, waiting for our own complete deliverance from "this body of death" as the Apostle Paul puts it. The Pentecost wait reminds us to simply wait on God's timing as He moves through the power of the Holy Spirit. And finally, the Kingdom wait encourages us to continue seeking God's Kingdom and not our own.
Each chapter ends with a series of group discussion questions, making this book ideal for small group studies. There were parts of the book that I felt could have been flushed out a little more, such as in regards to the practical aspects of what "service and presence" might or might not look like. I appreciated his emphasis throughout the book that sacred waiting is not waiting FOR God, but rather waiting ON God. There are so many great truths in each chapter that this small book is well worth reading slowly and deliberately, taking the time to let the wisdom sink in.
Building on this analogy in the first half of the book, Timms shows how these roles should be reversed. He redefines the manner in which we are prone to think of waiting: sacred waiting is not "what we have to do between two points in time to get what we really want" but rather is "drawing closer to Him and responding to His leading." He looks at the lives of Noah (wait and endure), Abraham (wait and trust), Moses (wait and learn), David (wait and worship) and Jesus (wait and obey), and highlights different ways in which each one waited on God. Each chapter shows a different facet of what waiting on God looks like. I especially appreciated the chapters on the lives of Abraham and David. And by "appreciated" I mean that my toes got stomped on and my heart convicted about my lack of a Godward focus and desire.
In the second half of the book, Timms shows how waiting on God is seen in the calendar of the church: Advent, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Kingdom. It was this section that really brought home to me the universality of waiting on God and how it permeates every celebration of the church. In Advent waiting, we recognize our need and anticipation of a Deliverer, culminating in the birth of Christ. During Lent, we wait and fast in acknowledgement of our need of and hunger for God. During Easter, we celebrate the fact of the Lord's resurrection, waiting for our own complete deliverance from "this body of death" as the Apostle Paul puts it. The Pentecost wait reminds us to simply wait on God's timing as He moves through the power of the Holy Spirit. And finally, the Kingdom wait encourages us to continue seeking God's Kingdom and not our own.
Each chapter ends with a series of group discussion questions, making this book ideal for small group studies. There were parts of the book that I felt could have been flushed out a little more, such as in regards to the practical aspects of what "service and presence" might or might not look like. I appreciated his emphasis throughout the book that sacred waiting is not waiting FOR God, but rather waiting ON God. There are so many great truths in each chapter that this small book is well worth reading slowly and deliberately, taking the time to let the wisdom sink in.
March 10, 2010
I had the privilege of interviewing David Timms, on our radio show "Kingdom Highlights", for his new book, "Sacred Waiting", published by Bethany House. How do you define waiting? Is it the length of time you have to stand in line at the check out counter or the time it takes for the delivery of the pizza from when you placed the call? For David Timms Sacred Waiting is not measured by the hands on the clock.
Sacred Waiting is somewhat equivalent to the waiter at a restaurant. When you are first greeted he tells you his name and asks you what beverage you would enjoy. Then he asks you what meal you would enjoy that evening. As your meal progresses he asks you how everything is and keeps you beverage glass full. If you have any needs or if your meal was not prepared properly he will exchange it for something else to properly meet your needs. That is the classic vocation of the waiter: his presence with us and his service to us.
Mr. Timms then shows us how it is done by showing us how the great men of the Bible did it. In the examples of the lives of Noah: Wait and Endure; Abraham:Wait and Trust; Moses: Wait and Learn; David: Wait and Worship; and Jesus Himself: Wait and Obey we are shown how God really wants us to wait on Him and the way to do it.
I recommend this book highly. I believe that this book should be read and then read four or five other times to really start to appreciate the depth of wisdom in these pages. This book is a book that should be in the library of every Christian just like their Bible.
If you missed the interview for "Sacred Waiting" and would like to listen to it please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where it is available On Demand.
To listen to 24 Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. 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.”
Sacred Waiting is somewhat equivalent to the waiter at a restaurant. When you are first greeted he tells you his name and asks you what beverage you would enjoy. Then he asks you what meal you would enjoy that evening. As your meal progresses he asks you how everything is and keeps you beverage glass full. If you have any needs or if your meal was not prepared properly he will exchange it for something else to properly meet your needs. That is the classic vocation of the waiter: his presence with us and his service to us.
Mr. Timms then shows us how it is done by showing us how the great men of the Bible did it. In the examples of the lives of Noah: Wait and Endure; Abraham:Wait and Trust; Moses: Wait and Learn; David: Wait and Worship; and Jesus Himself: Wait and Obey we are shown how God really wants us to wait on Him and the way to do it.
I recommend this book highly. I believe that this book should be read and then read four or five other times to really start to appreciate the depth of wisdom in these pages. This book is a book that should be in the library of every Christian just like their Bible.
If you missed the interview for "Sacred Waiting" and would like to listen to it please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where it is available On Demand.
To listen to 24 Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. 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.”
December 1, 2011
Excellent read - included chapters about Biblical characters and their waiting process and chapters describing the various "holy" seasons, such as Advent, Lent, Easter, etc. Highly recommend this book.
May 13, 2014
Could only get about 60% through it. I was not struck in any way by the content and I really didn't like the authors writing style.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews