What is the one of the biggest struggles for someone who is on the book publishing journey? The most obvious answer to me is…WAITING! As writers, we all face many struggles, but one that none of us can avoid is waiting. Waiting to hear back from a potential agent, waiting to hear back from a potential publisher, waiting to hear back on edits, cover art, sales reports, reviews…the list goes on and on. So does the ticking of the clock while we wait.

Years ago, when I first began writing seriously, I remember people talking about the waiting game in this industry and how difficult it was. I listened and acknowledged what they were saying, but to be honest, I was clueless. Now years later, I have a deeper comprehension. The lived-out version of what waiting feels like in an author’s world is brutal. I guess God put the words “a day is like a thousand years” in the Bible for a reason.

That is one reason why, when I recently overheard one of my daughters talking to a friend and recommending a book written by Mark Vroegop called Waiting Isn’t a Waste – The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life, I knew I had to read it. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. It connected with my lived experience both as an author and for my life in general.

Vroegop points out that God designed waiting to be a frequent part of our lives so that we learn to live in greater dependence on God. He gave the example of how God provided manna for the Israelites daily, not in bulk. They had to wait on him and trust in him.

One passage of Scripture I love that connects with the idea of daily dependence is Lamentations 3:24-26:

“I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

I remember years ago completing a Beth Moore study on Esther where she taught that the meaning of the word “portion” was “just enough.” The Lord is my “just enough” for each day. In other words, he is our daily manna.

Vroegop also makes another point that waiting is a reminder that we are not in control, God is. Ouch. Do I have control issues? The answer is yes. When we are waiting on something, God wants us to turn to him and trust him for the answer. He knows what we need and when we need it better than we know it. We must give relinquish our control to him. And if we are honest, we have to admit that we were never actually in control anyway.

Vroegop also recommended shifting my focus from what I don’t know about my future to what I do know to be true about God. His tangible appendix of “The Lord is” statements help the reader put his principles into action. A few of my favorites were, “The Lord is my shepherd,” “The Lord is my strength and my shield,” “The Lord is on my side,” and “The Lord is merciful and gracious.” A habit I want to form is to utilize these truths to renew my mind and find more peace even in the times when I don’t know if, when, or how my prayers will be answered and my waiting will be over.

What about you? Can you relate to this topic? What is it that you waiting for? To be honest, the waiting game in writing is not the only area of my life in which I struggle with waiting. I could give you a list of things I am waiting for!

Let’s not waste our wait! Let’s use it as an opportunity to grow closer to God.

If waiting is something that you struggle with, I highly recommend this book!

Mindy Baker resides in Indiana where she is a high school Spanish teacher. She is the author of Mouse’s Christmas Gift, Zonderkidz 2018, and has contributions in multiple Guideposts publications over the past four years. Her middle grade novel Soledad and the Curse of the Phoenix will be published in November, 2025 with Chicken Scratch Books. You can connect online with Mindy here. She also has a mini-magazine for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers of children. You can sign up to receive it here.