Book Review: "Peace in the Waiting: When you Love People Who Don’t Love God"

 Mar. 2, 2024

BOOK SUMMARY:

Through compassionate guidance and encouragement, Peace in the Waiting helps us navigate the grief, confusion, and urgency we feel for our loved ones who don’t follow Jesus. Author June Chapman vulnerably guides us toward less striving and more hope by including prayer prompts in every chapter and through weaving the heartfelt story of her own experience with a non-Christian friend.

Peace in the Waiting is a practical and empathetic guide for Christians struggling with grief over loved ones who have rejected or wandered away from Jesus. Drawing on her own experience of longing for a close friend to meet and follow God, author June Chapman guides us through the steps of lamenting, trusting in God’s plan, and finding rest and refuge in His character. Peace in the Waiting compassionately explores:

• Naming and processing our sorrow over friends and family who don’t know God
• Remembering that a loved one’s salvation is not up to us
• Our questions about unanswered prayers
• Our confusion and frustration about some people being saved and not others
• Embracing peace even in the urgency we feel for our loved ones to know Jesus

 
Peace in the Waiting calls us to take the focus off ourselves and trust in God’s promises so that we might have a renewed sense of hope for those we love the most.

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I don't think I've come across a book that specifically talks about loving people who don't love God, so it was a pleasant surprise to dive into ‘Peace in the Waiting’. 

The book tackles the often-overlooked topic of loving people who don't love God, such as family members or close friends who aren't born again Christians. I'm sure every Christian has had this concern at some point in their life. The fear of losing a loved one who isn't a believer, wondering where they would go if they died. The agony when your worst fear happens and you wish you had done something different, like prayed for them more or talked to them more about Jesus.

The author encourages us to find peace in knowing that there are certain things beyond our understanding. God alone knows what's in all of our hearts, so even if a loved one passes away, we may never truly have known the state of their heart before their passing - only God would. Only God has the power to change people, not us.

Another takeaway for me is the importance of giving our loved ones over to God; we can't hold on to their hearts like they're projects that need to be fixed. We need to understand that fighting godlessness is a spiritual battle, so the best thing we can do for ourselves and for our loved ones who don’t love God is to tell them about Jesus, pray for them, and release them to God.

I liked the inclusion of a Reflection Room section on every few pages, and a Prayer Starter at the end of every chapter. I also appreciated the calm and peaceful tone that blanketed the entire book. It felt really nice to read!

There’s a lot to take away from ‘Peace in the Waiting’, so I highly recommend. A truly encouraging book every born-again Christian should read.

I was gifted an ARC by DCC @david.c.cook in exchange for an honest review. ‘Peace in the Waiting’ is set to be published on Apr. 2, 2024!

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