The Waiting Room: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in a Health Crisis

Peace & Hope in Crisis

by Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage, Scotty Smith (Foreword)

Whether you are the caregiver or the patient, the “what-if’s” of the waiting room can feel terrifying, and the wait can feel agonizing. Cancer, tumor, stroke, traumatic injury, or major surgery—a health crisis of any kind involves waiting. This waiting arouses many fear, uncertainty, sorrow, agony, and anger among them. In this devotional for caregivers and patients, Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage reminds us of the certain hope and surpassing peace of the God has worked miraculous deeds and redemptive wonders in the past, and Jesus will “soon” come again to end our wait, and to bring full and final healing. These sixty meditations for peace and hope will encourage you as you wait. Endorsements : This brilliant book is a tender gift of the presence of God for those caught in the deep woods of medical uncertainty. When we are in the hospital waiting for resolution, we don’t need a long chapter of admonitions or vague mumblings of comfort. We need a guide who has traversed this terrain and has a compass and a map to help us orient our journey. Elizabeth Turnage offers a wisdom that has been hard won, meets the test of the gospel, and is beautifully and brilliantly written. I can’t recommend this book more highly than to say you need a copy for yourself and eventually for every friend or family member who is called to wait for redemption. Dan B. Allender PhD, Professor of Counseling Psychology, Founding PresidentThe Seattle School of Theology and Psychology Elizabeth writes to anyone who finds themselves in the waiting room of God’s sovereign purposes. She meets us there as an empathetic friend reminding us what is true in His Word, urging us to listen to the refreshing lyrics of the gospel, as she beautifully models what it means to lift our eyes to the Father who is faithful to meet us in the midst of our suffering. Karen Hodge, Coordinator of Women’s Ministries Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) Each meditation

Genres: Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Elizabeth Turnage is a writer, story coach, and teacher. She founded Living Story to help people learn, live, and love the gospel. She is the author of The Waiting Room: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in a Health Crisis and the Living Story Bible Study Series (P & R), Elizabeth offers gospel-centered resources at her blog, www.elizabethturnage.com.

Elizabeth has been married to orthopedic surgeon Kip Turnage for 36 years. They enjoy spending time with their children, Kirby and Amy Anne Turnage, Jackie and Matt Roelofs, Mary Elizabeth and Caleb Blake, and Robert Turnage. When they are not working or visiting their kids, they enjoy doting on their golden doodle, Rosie, the “best-dog-ever”!

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't miss this excellent handbook to sanity by Elizabeth Turnage. In it she recounts the story of her son's one-year battle with a mass in his brain. During that time, Elizabeth's uncle dies, her father-in-law had a heart attack and her own father died of cancer.

Elizabeth has compiled stories of her season in the waiting room and how she fought her battles with the help of prayer, Biblical readings and writing about the experience. Read the book and you will find your story in there somewhere.

[Dorothy Greco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very encouraging, very real exploration of what it's like to be in those in-between places where we have no idea what the final outcome will be. Turnage leads us through the confusion and pain directly to God. It's comforting and hopeful, which is what we all need when we're facing frightening medical scenarios.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waiting is a part of life. We wait in lines, to hear from a college, to get a job, to find a spouse, to have a baby, for a wayward child to return….And we wait in medical waiting rooms: for a diagnosis, through a surgery, for news—hopefully good, too often bad. Elizabeth Turnage, in The Waiting Room, sits with us, offering understanding, peace and courage. She takes us right to our God through her personal story of waiting room ordeals, through God’s Word, in prayer. And she conveys perspective for the difficulty of today, comfort and strength for the ongoing journey and great hope for the future. This is a helpful book for all the waiting of our lives.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth weaves together her own waiting room stories with passages from Scripture, questions for reflection, and thoughtful lessons learned in this excellent devotional. It is the perfect gift for someone who is facing the uncertainty of a health crisis, as well as for those who sit in the waiting room caring for loved ones. I appreciated the honesty with which Elizabeth told her story, and felt grateful that she has put her lessons learned into such a helpful book that I can share with others. Highly recommend.

[Stephanie Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Turnage and her family know a lot about being in the waiting room—a place of the unknown and uncertainty about yours or a loved one's health. She has used her experience to craft a lovely devotional filled with reminders of who God is during these trying times. Maybe you're not currently in the waiting room, but I bet you know someone who is. Do them a favor and get them this book. It may be all things you already know, but the reminders help bring peace to a weary soul.

[Holly McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is my niece and I am exceedingly proud of her talents and accomplishments. I stand in awe of the faith she and her family displayed in a time when troubles seemed to pile up impossibly high. It is also true that Elizabeth and I speak different dialects of Christianity. I tend to fling myself into the wordless-sacramental-mystical-Unknowing. She finds strength in words and The Word. The Waiting Room may not speak your dialect of Christianity, but if it does, it will be tremendously helpful.

Elizabeth writes from the best part of the evangelical Reformed tradition. She presents Scripture appropriate to sixty situations that she faced in the time when her son endured an unknown growth in his brain and her father (and other extended family members) faced death. She then explicates that Scripture to help others find grace, comfort, strength, and hope in the time of waiting. Added to that are concrete “things to do” – prayers to pray, journals to write, music to listen to – when one literally cannot do anything to make the situation better.

If you are searching Scripture for help as family or friends face illness or death, this book will be a trusted guide and comfort in your journey.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so grateful for this encouraging devotional! While geared toward those experiencing difficult medical season, I found my heart encouraged in my own areas of waiting as well as encouraging ways to help those I love walking through those seasons. Elizabeth Turnage draws our attention to the goodness of the gospel and the kindness of God even in those most difficult parts of our stories even as she shares from her own experience. I appreciate the added encouragement to puruse at the end of the chapters with songs and other ways to reinforce the truths she shared. I am so grateful for the reminders of Jesus grace and presence and look forward to remembering and sharing the sweet truths in this devotional.

[Charity Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever spent time in the waiting room? I have. Waiting with friends and loved ones. Waiting alone. Waiting on results. Waiting for news. Waiting for hope. Hoping the wait will be worth it.

In The Waiting Room, author Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage offers 60 brief meditations for those who find themselves all too often in The Waiting Room, facing an unexpected and unwanted health crisis or injury.

What a helpful resource! Each of the 60 meditations is accompanied by a prayer, a Scripture passage and link to a song, and a reflection question to help you think further about the topic. The meditations also are mercifully short, perfect for reading in the waiting room when you never know when you'll be called on next.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encouraging devotions, as one waits to recover from illness, or waits with a loved one. Short readings.