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Review: Now and Not Yet


This is a title that I've been excited about ever since I saw others sharing about it, so I'm thrilled that I was able to read Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons before it was released yesterday.

Many thanks to Nelson Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis

Bestselling author Ruth Chou Simons guides readers who are restless in their current circumstances on a journey of growth, purpose, and pressing in.

Too often, we feel disappointed with our "right now"--our life circumstances, our relationships, our progress, our daily grind. We want to do so many things--good, godly things--but our situations don't allow us to step into them. Are we missing out on our own lives? Why does right now seem so far from where we really long to be?

Bestselling author Ruth Chou Simons reminds us that it's okay to not like the right now we've been given, but we don't have to like it to lean in. In Now and Not Yet, Ruth shows us how to.. .

  • embrace the biblical truth that someday is made up of thousands of right nows;
  • discern how the difficult parts of our lives are actually a unique gift by discovering five ways to flip the script on a hard season;
  • stop feeling trapped when we are not where we want to be with guided liturgies for what we are facing today; and
  • live faithfully in the tension between what is and what is not yet.

Your right now matters. And you can choose to press in and not check out. To know God is at work even when you don't see the progress you're looking for. To start where you are in this very moment. Because he's not through with you yet.

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This is my first title by Ruth Chou Simons, and it won't be my last. The author has such a way with words that the entire book felt like a visual feast, especially paired with her beautiful artwork and poetry. She is an artist, through and through. I love how she is able to write in such an approachable manner while getting at some meaty topics such as waiting on God, having our character refined through difficulties, and surrendering our plans. The questions she offers provide a good balance between reflection and meditation on God's Word, such that we don't allow our thoughts and circumstances to consume us.

My favourite sections are definitely The Theological Framework of the Now and Not Yet and the Scriptures, where all of the verses are compiled together. I appreciate how much this book is grounded in the Bible and how it takes the emphasis off our emotions. The author captures the theological tension of the already and not yet and applies it to how we can respond and worship God in the in-between. Infused with encouraging messages of hope and laced with the promises of God, readers will find Now and Not Yet to be a gentle and truthful book that can offer joy in the waiting.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍
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