The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions

by Jeff Manion

In this Ebook edition of The Land Between, author Jeff Manion uses the biblical story of the Israelites' journey through Sinai desert as a metaphor for being in undesired, transitional space. After enduring generations of slavery in Egypt, the descendants of Jacob travel through the desert (the land between) toward their new home in Canaan. They crave the food of their former home in Egypt and despise their present environment. They are unable to go back and incapable of moving forward. The Land Between explores the way in which the Israelites' reactions can provide insight and guidance on how to respond to God during our own seasons of difficult transition. It also provides fresh biblical insight for people traveling through undesired transitions--foreclosure, unemployment, parents in declining health, post-graduate uncertainty, business failure--who are looking for hope, guidance, and encouragement. While it is possible to move through transitions and learn little, they provide our greatest opportunity for spiritual growth. God desires to meet us in our chaos and emotional upheaval, and he intends for us to encounter his goodness and provision during these upsetting seasons.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Spirituality, Christianity, Theology

208 pages, ebook

First published July 14, 2010

Reviews

[Jacquelyn Sill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the most unique books I have read. Manion was able to weave Biblical truths, Historical facts and his own life story in a way that was not flowery and overtly emotional.
There were new insights that I gained on Abraham and Sarah, on Joseph, and on the Children of Israel. I recommend this book to anyone who is waiting and feels that the waiting is the hardest part.

[Theresa Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

When someone suggested the book to me, I read a few pages and put it down. At the time I wasn't able to get into it. I had several things going on at once, none of which was more important than helping my daughter plan her wedding.

I eventually picked up the book again, and I have to say that there's a reason why we do things when we do. God has a Divine plan and His timing is perfect. I don't think I would have received the message about how to respond to the land between during my transition a month ago.

Each chapter drew me into deeper meditations as I realized it is essential that I give credence to the land between where life was and where the future is in question. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is experiencing a life-changing event. This book provides hope, guidance, and encouragement for people during their toughest times of transitions, whether it be major health issues, loss of job, foreclosure, or fear of uncertain futures.

I am embracing the land between. The way we view and handle our transitions has a lot to do with how long we remain in the land between. The Israelites wandered around in the wilderness for forty years, but that was not God's plan. If they had trusted God and stop their grumbling and complaining they would have all seen the Promised Land.

God has great things for me and I want every blessing he has stored

[James Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and Engaging
It is Finished: A 40-Day Pilgrimage Back to the Cross by Charles Martin is a powerful and engaging book. Using Israel’s trek from Egypt to the promise land, the author uses lessons from Israel to help guide us in our own land between or difficult transitions. The author handles the Old Testament Bible passages with brilliance and brings out what these passages are really about: God at work preparing and refining His people.

This is one of the best books on the Exodus that I have ever read. If you are going through a season of trial, a time where God’s path is leading uphill and you are experiencing frustration with the circumstances of life, this book will be a great tool that God can use to help you look at yourself honestly and identify what God may be work doing in your life. I highly recommend.

[Lauren Wicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books gives insight on frustrating, difficult, and seemingly senseless life circumstances by sharing the story of Moses leaving Egypt and heading to the Promised Land. The author explains how the “in-between” is on purpose; it may even be one of the sweetest places of transformative growth in hindsight. Read this if you feel angry, confused, burned out, or any other difficult feeling when considering your current life circumstances.

[Sarah Palsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Welcome to the Land Between: where life is not as it once was, where the future is in question.” Drawing insights from the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings, Manion reflects on the presence of God and opportunity for spiritual growth when your world has been turned upside down. An easy/quick read with powerful reflection for all of us living through 2020/2021.

[Paul Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes the difficulties of growth during times of difficult transitions. While it rings true, and there are comforts of a hopeful future, it doesn't remove the necessity of the hard training ground of the land between. The land between where you came from and the land God is leading you to.

[Micaela Rahimian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book! Someone suggested this book to me almost a year ago when I was in the middle of a few big transitions and I finally picked it up. I feel like the author does a great job of bringing in biblical truths to relatable situations that can help with a lot of seasons. It didn’t feel like a “self help” book by any means but was convicting in all the right ways.

[Bj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit preachy at times but overall a good read, with parallels drawn from the Bible stories coupled with testimonies from people living in the present including his own. Timely reminder of God's unshakable Presence and His desire for our best

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

By learning to trust and love God during the good times - you will know he is with you during the bad times. God never leaves you - only you can leave God

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am often encouraged when those behind the pulpits are bold enough to share their grueling tales of ministry. The Land Between is no exception: many pastorate war stories from this Michigan preacher.

Things started hitting me upside the head after page 92: "Out of his generous, giving nature, God provides for his discouraged leader [Moses].... What if God still does this? What if God loves to provide?"

"I think God loves providing exactly what we need at exactly the right moment."

In the chapter "No Longer Alone," Manion is telling us that in the wilderness

* Moses blew up and cried out to God.
* God agreed with Moses.
* God provided what Moses needed.

"In your Land Between circumstances, listen for this question: 'Is the Lord's arm too short?'"

The author mentioned the demotivational website despair.com. In it you will find a poster with a sunken ship off an ocean shoreline. The caption: MISTAKES. The quote: "It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others." Oy vey, is this the purpose of the Israelites' wanderings?

But slavery, in a way, is easier than freedom. Your masters created your agenda for you, made all your decisions. Freedom is difficult to grow into: you have to think for yourselves, govern yourselves now. New Israel is having growing pains.

And what is God trying to accomplish in all this?

"Trust is the glue that holds any relationship together.... The people of promise...are totally unfit to take possession of the land in their current condition."

The tragedy for Israel, ourselves included, is not that we make mistakes or suffer pain...the tragedy is that we refuse to learn from them. The pain is wasted.

I am thankful to have been handed this book. I hope I'll let God help me allow the teacher called suffering to get through to me.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book 5 stars for the feeling of authenticity you get as you read it. That seems rare in a lot of Christian living books and it set a meaningful tone as I read through the book. Although many of the ideas presented in this book were familiar for me, this tone allowed them to shine through in a fresh way. He also does take time to look more deeply into Biblical figures like Moses.

I think my biggest takeaway from this book is that, as we will all go through "deserts" where life is not working out as we planned, we have a choice in how those play out in our lives. God wants to use them to purify us and to take us deeper into Himself through new levels of real trust. But we can complain, stress impatiently for it to end, or become bogged down in bitterness. The importance of how we build our lives in the good times is also discussed. We need to grow in our knowledge of God and be walking in His will so that when hard times come our first reaction is to lean on Him.

I think something else unique about the author and his ideas is that he is willing to to broach the difficult aspects of God and His actions that many simply do not interface with because they don't fit into the box of a God who will only do "nice" things for His people - a box of truly limited love but which plays more smoothly in a sermon than a God whose love includes allowing trials and inflicting discipline.

I would recommend this book to really anyone seeking to move through a desert of waiting, pain, loss, etc or even those wanting to build up their "inner man" to be ready to face the inevitable difficulties of life and be in a place to grow in transformational ways through them.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Land Between is an exploration of how difficult seasons and transitions affect us and our faith, using the story of the Israelites wandering the desert for 40 years as its example. I went through this book with my small group, and everyone found it interesting and helpful to relate the Israelites' story to their own life and the challenges they were facing. I went through the book again myself several years later, and again found it to be an interesting and helpful read for navigating challenging seasons of life.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, honestly, was just good for my soul. I am definitely living in The Land Between. The story comparison of the Israelites and all they learned in their Land between truly gave me hope and much to think about. I have underlined a lot and keep going back to key sentences. As I read, I just would have a sense of peace roll over me. This is completely an emotional response to the book. However, isn't that what good writing is supposed to do for one, generate emotional response? I have recommended this book to several women going through their own land between times.

I highly recommend.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. I'd wanted to read it since hearing his message at the Global Leadership Summit many many years ago. I listened to the audio book. good read. Good concepts. Helpful reminders of how God works and how to "keep the faith" because faith is something to live by, not circumstances. It went very quickly. He has an easy to read dialog with the reader. I appreciated his story and sharing it through the book.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book. It reminded me that the most important lessons God teaches us are not at point A or point B, but in the land between. We need to focus more on learning what God has for us now instead of always pushing toward the next goal.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect timing for what I am going through in my life. I highly recommend anyone who is in the land between read this.

[Juliana Pappas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Land Between by Jeff Manion is a great book for anyone struggling with Christianity…ever. But especially during these last few years of COVID. No more false hope from the pulpit!! No more rallying of emotions and people and “hype” to get through. Enough of that.

I like the mix of things Jeff talks about, anything from personal experiences, challenging or traumatic experiences of others, experiences that built up to huge disappointment on a platform/audience level, and events in the Bible that lead to the characters being disappointed and alone. My big thing is that Jeff doesn’t make false promises to get through it. It’s not about the other side. He just focuses on what the land between looks like for everyone, in almost any situation.

I liked the refreshing way Jeff approaches dissapointment. This perspective brings peace to my own life, as Ive felt life has built me up to what should have been an easy success point - and then success was taken away. What could have been a fairly lucrative career dangles in my face, always out of reach. I regret the sacrifices I’ve made for others from time to time that keeps pushing my own success back, but this book reminds me that reward is coming….but there’s a specific aspect to timing that I’m blind to, because that timing will take me a new direction, to a door that wasn’t available before, yada-yada etc. etc.

But that’s all ME talking there, Jeff doesn’t offer solutions. He didn’t say those things. He just recounts and makes the present seem like enough to worry about. Finally, I feel truth coming to that verse that says we don’t need to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

My only complaint is that I wish it was longer 😅 I wasn’t ready to be done. I WANT MORE JEFF!

[Jeff Garrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This month, I just finished reading this book for the second (and third) time. I read the books shortly after it was published after hearing Jeff Manion preach at a Calvin Theological Seminary preaching conference around 2012. Recently, we have had groups in the church study this book while I have used the themes for a five week sermon series.

Using Numbers 11 as his primary text, in which the Israelites are in the Sinai wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land, Manion draws parallels to our own lives in which we are tempted to want to go back (to Egypt where there was food and water--but also slavery) and tempted to give up on God. The "land between" is a place where God, if we allow it, prepare us for something new. It's a place of growth, but it's dangerous for we may succumb to temptation. This is a good quick read and a good study for a small group.

[Brian Virtue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I've read a lot related to the spiritual dimensions of transition and struggle. From reading and life, this book really hits the major spiritual themes and big picture perspective that we often lack in these critical seasons. In a world and culture that demands circumstances change for us to be at peace, this unpacks well that it is our response to God in those circumstances that leads to peace...at ultimately can be used for greater redemptive purposes in the world as well. It's primarily grounded on the Exodus journey of the Israelites. I could have given it 5/5 but felt like it could have been expanded even more - but many will appreciate the conciseness and length of it.

[Daniel Ammerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being transformed by trusting God in tough times

Usually we don't get to choose whether we will experience challenges in life. However we fo get to choose if we will trust God's character in the trials. The Land Between is a uniwue place that transforms. Either negatively, leading to bitterness, or positively leading to exponential Growth. The Land Between is a unique opportunity to know God's faithfulness as many prominate Bible as characters did. A very encouraging read especially for those in "wilderness" experiencrs.

[Paige Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent! If you are mired in the Land Between (you’ll know if you are) this is a must read! It will give you perspective, insight and encouragement to keep trusting God and choosing to react in a way that builds your faith and draws you closer to the God who has never left you.

Favorite Quote: “It is one thing to agree that God is at one in someone else’s struggle. It is another thing to trust that He is at work on ours.”

[Evan Hoekzema · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the way Manion related to the biblical characters he referenced and the way he humanized them. I also appreciated the overall premise of the book that didn’t excuse suffering, waiting, or delay…but also didn’t glorify it. Rather he acknowledged that this is a proven way God meets us and transforms us. That often in order for God to shape us into the people we most desire to be, He must lead us through terrain we desperately hope to avoid.

[Sylvia Jeronimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written and engaging read for all those who are walking a wilderness experience in their lives. It’s a sobering realization that we are Israelites in every way possible and our immediate default is to complain or blame, yet the grace of God is eager to provide what we need and more. Read. Reflect. Rethink your Land Between.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! What an encouraging book. I have no doubt that this book will be one I read each time I find myself in a hard situation in life. Love how the author brings us to the Bible to reference how God walked with so many of His people during difficult times. A wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness in all situations. Highly recommend reading this book.

[Brian Goslee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you going through a tough spot in life? A challenge, a struggle? A friend gave this to me at such a time in my life and it absolutely was a life-changer for me! I have heard it said that you've either been through a major struggle or you are going to go through one. This book will help you navigate and learn from such events and times in life.

[Bill Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book God dropped into my lap at the time I needed it.

Still in suffocating grief after the death of our son, facing challenges senior living and relocation bring to bear, Jeff steps in with incredible insight into those times of disorientation and the Land Between.

Highlighting Abraham, Moses and Joseph to show how all God wants is us to trust him.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very encouraging book! And challenging! Making me think and question what am I going to do with my Land Between! And what is God doing in my Land Between!? I appreciated his writing style - full of grace and truth; at the same time encouraging the faint hearted and admonishing those who need admonishing.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.85
"Often God chooses to meet us with his blessing in a place we do not choose to be. He will bless us on the detour. He will bless us in the Land Between. Often the place of blessing is not our place of preference." The place we most want to escape often produces the fruit we most desperately crave.

Some good nuggets here. Worth reading if you're in the land between.

[Tammie Maier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read when life gets hard.

Mr. Manion does a wonderful job of weaving Old Testament stories about suffering and delays with our times of wondering where is God when things go bad. Definitely helped me with my current "land between" situation.

[Mark Maloney · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was about coping with difficulties rather than transitions as such. OK if that’s what your looking for. But for me not that inspiring as Moses and the vast majority of the generation that left Egypt never made it to the promised land. But I know people who really got a lot from the book.