The Waiting Room () von Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

60 Meditations for peace and hope in a health crisis

Foreword by Scotty Smith

Cancer, stroke, traumatic injury, major surgery – a health crisis of any kind involves waiting, and this waiting arouses many emotions: fear, uncertainty, sorrow, agony, and anger. This volume of sixty meditations brings hope and peace from the Word of God for those who wait. 

First, the ground is laid with the backstory of the slew of illnesses that affected Elizabeth Turnage’s family in 2017. The introduction then explores how the agonizing wait becomes an opportunity to know the peace and hope that comes from the good news of the gospel. We can know joy in suffering when we look to the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross and imagine the day when Christ will return to bring full and final healing. 

The meditations are arranged loosely, meandering through various topics that will be relevant to anyone who has walked through a health crisis. In this case, “art imitates life,” as the reader will have good days and bad, good moments and bad. She can choose the devotion whose title seems most relevant to her in the moment.

How it achieves its aim to bring peace and hope:

Each meditation is around 550 words, expertly crafted to guide the reader to surpassing peace and certain hope. Each entry includes:

• An enticing title that will capture the reader’s attention. 
• A relevant scripture selection.
• A brief anecdote or hook related to waiting in a health care crisis.
• A highlighted gospel reality that brings peace and hope.
• A one to two sentence concluding prayer.
• One or two suggestions for further action – further Bible reading, links to music, reflection questions, other calming activities.

The Waiting Room concludes with an appendix that contains suggested readings, prayers, journaling ideas, music, and other calming activities. 

Topics include:

comfort in crisis, peace for health challenges, hope in fearful situations, God's faithfulness in suffering, God's love for sufferers, caregiving for cancer patients, hope for patients with brain tumors, forgiveness, growth in suffering, Christian maturity, Jesus is near, cures for anxiety, Jesus' love for hurting people, grief, sorrow, psalms, lamentations, Job, the good news of the gospel, waiting for Christ to return, Revelation.