Searching for Certainty

Searching for Certainty by Shelly Miller is timely on so many levels. The uncertainty of 2020 with COVID-19, racial and political unrest, and my own season of health unknowns made this book a must-read for me and should be for you as well. We all walk through seasons where we need gentle and thought-provoking words of a friend to encourage us to look at our uncertainties as opportunities. While reading this book, I was encouraged, convicted, challenged, and brought to tears. Shelly is a wordsmith. Her use of words paints pictures or rather snaps photographs that help the reader more deeply understand how we can find God during times of trial. My book has so many underlined thoughts I want to remember. One of my favorite quotes says, “How can silence be God’s good answer for uncertainty that could have devastating consequences? The gift is not in the outcome; it is in knowing you are not alone. The answer you didn’t know you need to uncertainty is the assurance that you are loved; God’s presence is with you because you belong to Him.” This message becomes ever more poignant when coupled with Shelly’s health crisis. The book released October 2020. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy. _#searchingforcertainty

It has often been said, "timing is everything." I received my copy of Shelly Miller's "Searching for Certainty," in the midst of my COVID quarantine.

Already on the launch team, I'd been reading online; but there is nothing like a physical book for highlighting and notemaking in the margins!

Only able to read portions at a time due to the overwhelming need for sleep, I now feel I read the book in the best way of all: thoughtfully, slowly meditating on her points. In fact, I feel racing along reading her book would be to do all Shelly's hard work an injustice.

She weaves both the exodus story and her life story together illustrating her main points in such a relatable way; it causes me to examine my own life. The thoughtful questions at the end of each chapter are deep and searching. (I'm going to revisit this book again and again.)

I think to sum up the main point of her book is to realize searching for certainty is fruitless; instead, searching for signs of God's presence in the midst of our uncertainties is the real treasure we should be seeking.

Shelly is a treasure. I first met her long ago in the blogging world and joined her group, The Sabbath Society, then fell in love with her first book, "Rhythms of Rest."

If you are tired of the rat race and want to grow spiritually, you need to read you some Shelly Miller!

Shelly’s writing style is beautiful and heartfelt. She writes from the heart, with raw honesty and real hope. This is a perfect book for the uncertain times we’re living in.

Shelly Miller's book was published in a year full of uncertainty. Covid brought the world to a screeching halt. Nothing about life felt at all normal, and the cancer diagnosis Shelly received felt unbelievably similar to the cancer diagnosis of a dear friend. I was reeling. Nothing felt stable. Nothing. I could barely breathe. Could barely function.

I would open this book and read the bits of truth Shelly had gleaned and was offering. I sometimes could only read a few sentences or questions, but I would think on the thoughts for days.

"Reframe uncertainty through the lens of the certainty of God's love, and interpret current events from the perspective of promise that is never revoked. What is God saying that the headlines aren't declaring? What is anxiety communicating that the Comforter is not responding to?"

"It's in our afflictions - those times in life when we cannot buy, think, create, converse, or Google our way out of pain and adversity - that our formative faith his revealed as faulty, frail, or sure-footed."

"What part of God are you unsure about? Faith is impossible without being acquainted with the necessary parts of God's nature and character that allow you to trust Him."

This book is deep, still water. It's wisdom is life-giving, and I am so thankful that God gave this message to Shelly to share for such a time as this.

Searching For Certainty

I picked up this book after I learned the author had passed away. There are so many hope filled stories in this spiritual memoir. Comparisons are drawn between the uncertainties in the Christian life and the 40 years in the wilderness that Moses faced. There are study questions and scriptures to read at the end of each chapter as well as meditation exercises to make it more of a Bible study. I would recommend this book to any Christian that is struggling with uncertainty in their lives.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for free for the purpose of review.

I found the author’s story in this book very heart-touching, and her experiences added much to this book. She takes a personal, thoughtful, Biblical look at how God can work in our lives through difficult times, if we will depend on Him. I liked this author’s writing style, and felt that she communicated these truths very well. If you are struggling through uncertain times, this is a great book for you to read,

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

“I want a map for assurance, and God is longing for me to know the assurance of his love.”

This book was full of powerful statements like this that challenged me and pushed me towards a deeper dependence on God. Wow! What makes it even more powerful is where Shelly was at personally as she was writing this book and the circumstances we find ourselves in right now. There is no certainty in the world with the COVID crisis. Her words strike to the core of our desire for security and push us to a deeper dependence on God and His love for us.

This was especially powerful for me as I read it in the middle of a challenging family situation. Her words continued to bring comfort to my soul in a time of great personal insecurity.

If you think knowing all the answers will bring you peace, Shelly Miller reminds you that (a) you can't know all the answers, and (b) peace comes from trusting God, not answers.

This book is part memoir of Shelly's life, part sermon on the life of Moses, about how we can put our trust in the certainty of God's love instead of trying (and failing) to control the uncertainty that surrounds us daily.

The ultimate uncertainty may be the unknown date of our death. Shortly after this book was published, the author died after a short illness. I read this book through that lens, and it brought even more clarity and assurance that we don't need to keep our uncertainties to ourselves. As Shelly wrote in her final chapter, "The quickest way to squelch fear is to tell someone about it."

Here are a few favorite quotes from this book:

"Being safe isn’t wrong and seeking security isn’t sinful, but according to God, achieving comfort isn’t a priority to him. He doesn’t promise safety and security; he promises that he will be with you."

"God was leading the Israelites into the certainty of freedom and abundance. But focusing on the uncertainty in circumstances along the way kept them from believing in the certainty of God’s goodness."

"What are you missing in the hurry for closure?"

"In fear, we can miss the obvious—that your uncertainty is God’s opportunity to reveal his great love for you."

My thanks to Net Galley and Bethany House for the review copy of this book.

If ever a book were written for such a time as this, Shelly Miller's Searching for Certainty is that book. As we cast about on the stormy sea that is 2020, this book stands as a lighthouse, offering a path to solid ground. Shelly unfolds God's promises like notes warm from being tucked away in a pocket for so long and shows us how He kept those promises, one by one, through all her times of uncertainty. Each promise fulfilled, each tiny bit of stable footing, points to God's faithfulness, His abundant provision, even for the times when Shelly hadn't quite trusted the next step in His plan for her. As routines and schedules and plans change all around us, Shelly directs us towards God's steadfastness, His immovability, His permanence, reminding us that no matter what else shifts, God does not.
In addition to discussion questions for each chapter and suggested spiritual practices, Shelly surprises the reader with an extra gift into Searching for Certainty. Long noticed for her stunning photographs, particularly of London street scenes and the English countryside, she tucks these works throughout the book. As a final treat, she includes a series of photography exercises for those who would like to practice seeing God and His creation as she does. If you have struggled to find God or to see Him in the turmoil of this year, or any time, start with this book.

Such a beautiful novel about finding God in the disruptions of life. I thought this was an interesting read, and feels like the perfect book to read in the year 2020 as many of us have gone through disruptions of some kind. I would be excited to read Shelly Miller's other works, as I think her writing is both original and enlightening.

This is a very thought provoking book. I’ve had to process what I’ve read. We all have things we’ve lived through that are just unbelievable at best. Everyone’s story is different but relatable in ways. I have been encouraged and challenged by this book. I appreciate Shelly Miller’s voice and transparency.

As I finished up the book I decided to look for something to add to my post and learned that Shelly Miller had passed away in November. That was not what I was expecting to find.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

Thanks to Bethany House for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.
This is a beautiful memoir/reflective book about Miller's life that also ties in the Israelites journey in the desert. I liked how she connected parts of her journey with these Biblical truths. There are times God asks you to wait, and in her experience she shares how she can find similar instances in the Bible when nothing seems certain. I enjoyed the vulnerability and honesty she put into these pages. I found some events were easy to relate to and, others, are experiences that I could learn from. While Shelly Miller passed away earlier this year, this book will continue to live on, and her story will always reflect others back to God.


A blend of memoir and teaching, this is a beautifully written book by an author who tragically passed away this year. Her words have peace breathing from them, even though she is no longer with us. Shelly describes her difficult childhood with grace, and weaves in wise acronyms she uses to stay grounded in faith. This book is a contemplative musing on choosing certainty even when life is uncertain, because God never changes.

I received a preview copy of Searching for Certainty from Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley.

I really appreciated the author's insights. She interweaved Biblical teachings from Moses with life lessons from her childhood into her present situation beautifully.

Lovely and comforting read from an author who wrote so beautifully. If you have not read Shelly Miller’s writings you should not miss out on her thoughtless and spiritual prose.

Searching for Certainty by Shelly Miller was such a timely and comforting read to me, with so many good insights to the Bible that were so applicable these days, too. Her writing style wasn't my favorite but I still enjoyed reading this book a lot.

Shelly Miller wrote Searching for Certainty before the pandemic hit and before she was diagnosed with life-limiting cancer. Her book’s central question now seems uncanny in its timing: How can we be certain of God in an uncertain world? How can we press through our journeys in the wilderness when the promised land seems so far away?

She writes as a poet, words painting pictures of how God’s love and mercy punctuated her broken childhood and how he continues to guide her as a “committed migrant” to London from her native America. Weaving the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land, she uncovers layers of our fears regarding uncertainty while affirming what we believe: “The fear of uncertainty is rooted in this belief: God won’t meet me in the way I am desperate for him to show up. And our greatest certitude is this: God is already in the room.”

We don’t know what 2021 will hold; perhaps our experiences in 2020 have deepened that truth. We can, however, with Shelly focus on what we do know about God. He loves us, he created us, he longs that we would enjoy our relationship with him. Shelly’s stories flesh out her statements about God and life – how God helped her find voice as a person and as a writer, how she found familial love from unexpected sources, how she relinquished her worry and complaining about financial matters in her new life in the UK.

If you’re able to set aside time to read Shelly’s book you’ll be encouraged; she gives us much to ponder about finding God in the disruptions of life. I only have tiny criticisms of her book – that at times her poetic prose feels overwritten and that some of the chapters feel more meandering than others. But her hard-earned wisdom and generous sharing from her life far outweigh that small critique.

Shelly started writing her book certain of God and his goodness but not knowing what lay ahead. Sadly for us, on All Saints’ Day (1 November), she died of complications from cancer. She lives fully now in the profound certainties of the God who made her and gifted us with her voice.