Kris Camealy
About the Author

Turned inside out by grace, Kris spends her life encouraging others to surrender all, that they too might discover the fullest joy of Jesus.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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    • Father God, thank you for Amber, for her growing family, and the joy and blessing that is. Lord, we ask for your provision, you know what we need, and you know our limitations andwe pray that you be with Amber’s family as they wait for a little more space, God, you faithfully provide even for the birds, we trust that you will faithfully meet our needs according to your divine purposes. Thank you for hearing our prayers, for growing this family, and for answering in your perfect season. We are so grateful.
      (Thank YOU amber, for allowing me to pray with and for you!)

  1. This is beautiful – thank you for sharing it. Today I am standing on the other side of this, looking in awe at the gifts God gave me during the waiting that I could never have anticipated or even thought to ask for. I am praying that this lesson takes root in my soul, so that the next time a deep wishing for something faces me I will remember God’s ‘piece bag’ and good timing and handle the waiting more gracefully than I have in the past – I was shortchanged on patience too! 🙂

    • Jamie~ How wonderful to be standing where you are. I think the truth is we are always standing on both sides, we have all received gifts, and still we wait hungry for more… So thankful for the grace you have recieved! 🙂 Rejoycing with you over blessings long waitied for, at last recieved! God is so good! Blessings to you, sweet friend!

  2. Yes. This is me RIGHT now…on so many things. Thank you for blessing me with these words today. I’ll enjoy the waiting.

    • Sarah~ Praying with you in the waiting, that you would find blessings if grace, holding on to His promises. 😉

    • Rosie, Praying for you during this time, Lord please bring comfort and rest and healing. In your perfect season, Father, might you graciously open Rosie’s womb to new life–give her strength fr the waiting, that she might find hope in you and grace in your mysterious mercies. Lord you are faithful and will graciously answer according to your perfect will and purposes. Thank you for this gift of promise and truth we have in you. May Rosie feel your arms wrapped around her in this time. Amen
      Bless you, my friend. Thank you for allowing me to pray with you. I am humbled.

      • Thank you so much for your prayers. I found out today that I have Hyperthyroid. It could have been what caused the miscarriage and what has kept me from getting pregnant. It is easily treated so hopefully now all will go smoothly and it won’t be long before I have my baby. Praise God.

        • Wow, Rosie! That is *good* news! I have hashimotos thyroiditis, and am hypothyroid, treatment is fairly simple once the dosege is regulated. Rejoycing with you in the hope of futire pregnancies! Bless you, friend!

  3. Waiting for financial independence…ready to have financial stability after my husband lost his job almost three years ago.

    • Oh Cassondra. Lord I lift Cassondra and her husband to you, Father, we ask that you would give them peace and hope in the uncertaintly, that they might know that despite their circumstances your love and faithfullness abound, Lord we bring before you, this worry, this stress about finances, and ask thatt you would turn instability into firm footing, that you would help this couple to see your will and walk patiently in the path of your choosing. Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers and answering them according to your perfect will.
      Thank you, Cassondra, for allowing me to pray with and for you. What a blessing it is!

  4. What an encouraging devotion this morning <3. It always thrills my heart when the Lord gives me just what I need to hear each day 🙂
    I pray for God's perfect will for our family. After an incredibly hard year financially we are faced with a potential move with a better job for my husband. We have lived in our home for twenty years. Thanks so much for your prayers <3

    • Stacey~ isn’t it awesome how God does that–directs our paths to hear His truths? I loe when that happens to me! 😉 Praying this morning for you andyour family, Stacey, Lord please strengthen them for the times ahead, thank you, Father, for this new job opportunity. We ask for your wisdom and peace for the move, 20 years is a log time invested in a community, in a church, in a home, Lord please make the way for them, reveal the steps they are to take and give them joy and peace in you, as they go. We know that your provision doesn’t always look like our version, and we give thanks for this, because your ways are always better! Thank you Lord for leading this family, what a blessing it is! Amen!
      (Thank you, Stacey, for letting me pray with and for you, what a gift that is to me!)

  5. Waiting…just waiting…thank you for being obedient and writing the words God wanted me to read…

    • Marynell~ Sweet sister, whatever it is you are waiting for, God knows and He has already prepared some sweet goodness especially for you. I don’t know if you are struggling in the waiting, or if you are at peace, but I just want you to know that He HEARS your heart’s cry, He KNOWS what you want, and He KNOWS what you need. Praying for His indescribable peace for you in the waiting, may you be encouraged and hopeful, trusting always in His wild love for you. (hugs)

  6. Praying for a buyer for our house, so we can be reunited with my husband who is working 4 hours away.

    • Katie~ Oh that is so hard! I did that for nine months once. The waiting was SO very difficult. Praying for you this morning, Lord, thank you for katie’s family, for the sacrifice they are making being separated during this transitional time. Lord please give them peace and comfort in this move, Father, we ask that you would bring a buyer for their home, Lord that you wuld be in the transaction and transfer of this property, that they might be able to live together as a family. Thank you Lord, for the job, the blessings that come even as there are challenges. There is no request too big for you, Lord and we humbly ask this in your name. Amen. (Thank you, Katie, praying with you, I know it’s hard, but God IS faithful and will meet your needs in the perfect time… Hugs to you, sister. )

  7. I really needed this. Things have been so complicated for the last year I have been unsure of Gods presence in my life and definitely questioned His love. It feels as if I have been cut off from every good thing. Not fancy things, just basic things. My piece bag would be a peace bag. It would be wonderful to feel Gods presence and never have to question it. My relationship with Him would be tangible. There would be peace in my body. Neurons would fire properly. Muscle and joints would work on tandem. I would be able to walk again. Im not waiting on anything elaborate. Just wholeness from the pieces. Sorry for any typos. I’m posting from my phone! Blessings.

    • Juli~ Oh my friend. Your words just jumped out at me this morning. You know, I think it’s the gifts of peace and unbridled joy in Christ taht we want, it’s not the *stuff* it’s just more and more of His presence. I am so sorry taht you have been on such a challenging path, I am sorry that you havehad to wander unsure of God’s grace and love in your life. I am lifting ou up today in this, Father God, your words tell us that you are always with us, that you never forsake us, and hearing this truth and yet living it are two different things. Father God, we come to you, Juli, mmyself, and we just ask for you to fill the space, Lord. Would you graciously make your resence and love knwn in some way that cannot be mistaken? Father would you reach out and hold Juli, bring peace to her body, rest for her spirit, Lord, we know and trust taht you are more than capable of filling the holes in our lives Lord and we thank you and praise you for who you are and what you WILL do in your perfect tim. Father please give Juli peace in the waiting. Lord help her to know and stand on your truths, even when she *feels* so very lonely and abandoned by you. You are the God who loves and saves and we ask that you just pour out your Spirit on Juli. Thank you, Jesus for the gifts you give in the hard times, may we not forsake them as we look towards a hopeful future. Amen.

      (Juli, my friend, thank you for allowing me to pray with and for you. The truth is that God has NOT abandoned you. Though it may feel otherwise, He is nothing but pure goodness and I pray you FEEL and experience that today, as you move through the minutes,and hours, KNOW that He LOVES you with a reckless and passionate love, that He will NEVER leave you, and that even in this moment, He sits with you, holding your heart in His hands– Bless you, friend. You are so very brave. )

  8. Praying and waiting for the right time to quit my job and begin my own business out of my home so that I can be with my children more…

    • Christi~ I hear your heart on this, the longing to be home with your babies. Praying with you this morning, Lord, you are so good and gracious to provide and to bless as you see fit. We ask that you would fill Christi with your love and patience as she waits for the plans you have for her. Lord, if it is your will, would you graciously open the doors for her to transition into owning her own business? Father, her desire as a Mom to be with her children is so beautiful and worthy. We ask that you would lead and guide her, give her peace and assure her of your good promises. Thank you Lord, for what is already unfolding, in her life, especially the unseen things–answered prayers in the works. Amen. (Christi, thank you for sharing your heart, and allowing me to pray with you, God hears and sees and knows He is with you and will answer, I just cling to that truth! Love your heart for your babies, beautiful sister!)

  9. At 28, I lost my husband to cancer. Now rapidly approaching 31, I await a second chance. There may be something on the horizon, but I am really praying to remain in God’s timing with this and not rush ahead on my own. Loved this post today – thank you!

    • Jess~ What a heartbreak to endure. I cannot even begin to grasp what your life has been like, my friend. But I know Jesus KNOWS, and it is that fact that gives me hope. Praying with you today, Father God, you have allowed Jess to walk such a challenging path, Lord, you have set her feet and held her upright and carried her through these years of greiving, and starting again, Father God, you know how her heart longs for a second chance. You are the God of second chances, and thrid and fourth and we place our fragile hope soley in you, in your promises to be our all-in-all. Lord guide Jess through this season, bring her through the lonliness and loss to the mountain top of blessings in community, in relationship. Father you are so good to us, and we just ask you to fill Jess in her waiting, Lord, help her to be wise and to hear clearly your direction. Thank you, Lord for your unfailing love. (Jess, thank YOU for allowing me to pray with you, I am so humbled by your experience and the challenges you face. Continuing to pray for you, He is with you friend, He KNOWS your longing.)

  10. I have my own home daycare and put in almost 60 hours a week with that. I pray everyday to please be able to slow down and spend more time with my aging parents – who are 2 hours away from us. As much as I love my job (and I do) most weeks I feel like I don’t have time to take a breathe. In order to keep up our ever-rising house payment I must work, Everyday I pray that I would see some plan that would allow me to spend the time that I need to, where I feel like I need to be. Thank You for the post, it was wonderful

    • Janet~ That is so hard! I can only imagine the challnge that is for you.Thank you for allowing me to pray for you, Father God, thank you for Janet, thank you for her servant’s heart that you have given her, what a blessing she is to others whose lives she touches through her work. Lord, please be with her and give her rest, Lord, if it is your will would you provide a way for her to scale back and have a chance to serve her own parents as well? You have obviously placed her in this position and what a ministry she has caring for your little children. Thank you for that, Jesus! Please sustain and strengthen her for whatever you have for her, Lord. Encourage her heart and hep her to clearly hear your words on what she ought to do. Thank you for your gracious gifts Lord, for hearing our humble prayers. (Janet, my friend, praying for you today, that God will encourage and lift your heart closer to His own. You are such a gift!!)

    • Janet~ That is so hard! I can only imagine the challnge that is for you.Thank you for allowing me to pray for you, Father God, thank you for Janet, thank you for her servant’s heart that you have given her, what a blessing she is to others whose lives she touches through her work. Lord, please be with her and give her rest, Lord, if it is your will would you provide a way for her to scale back and have a chance to serve her own parents as well? You have obviously placed her in this position and what a ministry she has caring for your little children. Thank you for that, Jesus! Please sustain and strengthen her for whatever you have for her, Lord. Encourage her heart and help her to clearly hear your words on what she ought to do. Thank you for your gracious gifts Lord, for hearing our humble prayers. (Janet, my friend, praying for you today, that God will encourage and lift your heart closer to His own. You are such a gift!!)

  11. Kris, I posted this week about “Submitting to the process is hard” (http://wp.me/p1Ut5W-dP). I started that piece a couple of months ago but now seemed the time to post it. Several of the situations I reference are still achingly in the messy middle of the process. For example, one team I work with has been quite burnt by a teammate. The teammate has been asked to get help and they are, but for the remaining ones, it’s hard to trust that any real change is possible and it leaves them quite fearful. If you could pray for this and other situations I’m working with, I’d be most grateful :). Amy

    • Amy~ Oh friend, yes, I will definitly pray! That is so hard! Lord we just lift Amyand her coworkers up to you, Father, You know the breadth of this situation and you know the solution and the outcome. Father God would you encourage these people, strengthen them and help them to be faithful in their service and help them to be a cohesive team, encouraging and uplifting each other, even as they face challenges in the process. Thank you Lord, for how you bless us even in trails and may your name be praised for the good works of your hands. Amen! (Amy, thank you for sharing your heart, your struggles, my prayers are with you!)

    • Sarah~ I’d be honored to. Father God, Whatever Sarah’s situation is, Lord, I just lift her up to you. You know the struggles she faces, you know the aches of her heart, the restlessness of her spirit, God would you come and fill her? Lord would you come and just wrap her up and bless her with your mighty love and goodness, that she might fully know how special and beautiful she is in your sight. Isaiah 40: 4 says,
      “Every valley shall be raised up,
      every mountain and hill made low;
      the rough ground shall become level,
      the rugged places a plain.” Lord we pray this for Sarah, may she know the blessing of raised valleys and level ground.
      Amen. (Thank you, Sarah. I am so blessed to be able to join you in prayer!)

      • Thank you. It means a lot that you took the time to pray, and I love the verse you gave me.

  12. Waiting to feel valiated, okay, accepted, wanted. Waiting/wanting to find contentment right now in this season- in this place I find myself, yet heartache and disappointment knock hard at my door.

    • Amy~Oh friend. I know the pounding, relentless knocking of heartache and dissapointment. Jesus knows too and I pray you rest in His promises that you are His beautiful creation and His love for you knows NO limits. Be encouraged, sweet friend, by these my most favorite words from Zephania 3:17

      “The Lord your God is with you,
      the Mighty Warrior who saves.
      He will take great delight in you;
      in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
      but will rejoice over you with singing.”

      Lord you know Amy’s struggle. You know the sad condition of her spirit, Father, I ask that you would fill her empty spaces with your truth, your unfailing, relentless love fore her. Jesus you are ALL we need. There is no validation the world can offer that compasres with the truth that we are knit together with you by the grace of your Holy Spirit. Lord, please let Amy experience this feeling, this truth, Lord, wrap her tight in it, and remind her of just how specal and precious she is. Thank you father for the healing in her heart, in her life that you will bring about in it’s due season. PLease encourage and strengthen her in the waiting. Amen. (Amy, my friend, thank you for your honesty… I continue to lift you to him today)

  13. It always amazes me how just when I am searching the most for the answers, God provides them to me. I have no idea what my gifts are in life. I think I am very ordinary and not very special. I have trouble with self-confidence. But through the blogs and devotionals, my thoughts are changing. I don’t know what God wants for me, but I am learning to be patient and listen and to not want and rush forward to anything. Please pray for me to learn patience and embrace it and wait for God to gently point me in his direction.

    • Heather~ What a blessing it is to hear how truth and community is helping you to SEE how special you are in Christ. You are not ordinary. He has plans and dreas for you that though you may not know them yet, fully exist. I will definitly pray, Lord God, thank you for Heather, for the beautiful woman that you have created her to be! Thank you for the grace you have shown in her life, and for the words of others who are helping her to SEE you and herself through your lense. Lord please encourager her heart, help her to be patient as you reveal your dreams and plans for her life. Be with her, Jesus in this season of waiting, prepare her to fully recieve the vision you have for her. Thank you Lord for how you are already answering this prayer. We are so grateful for your kind mercy and love. Amen. (Heather, Thank you for being so vulnerable to share your heart, you are a treasure to your heavenly Father and I pray you would KNOW that truth through and through. What a gift you are, friend!)

  14. I have a lot on my plate and I also have a dream. My family depends on my income only, right now, for insurance, food, shelter, clothing and all of their wants and needs. The kids are also in school and my job is providing free tuition. It is also a 108 mile per day round trip commute and costing an arm an a leg in gas. I have a job available a mile from my home that would provide all of these things, save the tuition reimbursement. I am scheduled to begin my master’s and my daughter is going to be getting her bachelor’s in nursing in 2015. My MSN will be completed in Aug, 2014. I am praying that I will see the light of what God wants me to do. If he wants me to stay in this job, provide a way for me to work less and be able to study and spend some quality and quanity family time as well. My husband is out of work and has been for the better part of four years.

    • Amy~ My, that is so much on your plate! I will definitly pray, Lord, thank you for AmyDee, for how she serves her family, despite the difficulty her full schedule presents. Thank you Lord for the various opportunities and blessings in her life. Father God, we ask that you would give her the wisdom to make sound decisions. Lord, you know better than anyone the challenges she faces and we ask that you would guide her steps, lead her family, provide work for her husband, and strngth for children. Lord wrap your hands around this family and meet them where they are, filling them with the peace that you HAVE them and you will provide for their every need. thank you Lord for AmyDee and her amazing, faith, may she ever serve you through her challenges, and may her life be an increadible testimony of your grace and abundant love. Amen. (AmyDee, you are a treasurte to your family. Thank you for sharing this with us!)

  15. Wonderful post Kris! So resonated. I am waiting, longing for the man God has intended for me. It’s been a long, bumpy, frustrating wait.

    • Christy~ Oh that waiting can be so hard. Praying with you in this time, Lord, bless your name, what a mighty and beautiful God you are. Please encourage Christy in the waiting, and longing for a lifemate. Father we ask that you would prepare the man you have chosen for her and that they would grow together in You and in love when the time is right. Encourage her in this waiting season, help her to be patient and faithful to you. Amen. (Thank you, Christy, for allowing me to pray with you! Hang in there, God has only His best set aside for you!!)

  16. Oh I loved your post today… I am in a waiting season for a new job… but there are so many other wants in my life right now I feel so overwhelmed… Longing for the right someone… the notion of returning to school… the job…. God calm my anxious heart and give my patience in my season of waiting…

    • Jules~ I am praying with you, friend, Lord would you please come and comfort Jules in the waiting. father God give her your indescribable peace and make her heart content in the waiting. Father guide her dreams and desires to align with your own plans for her life, that she may feel fully satisfied and confident that you will bring your will to pass in the appointed time. Thank you, Lord for your gracious giving of gifts, we are so grateful. Amen. (Thank you, Jules, for allowing me to pray with and for you! Trust him to answer, He is so good!!)

  17. This is so the place my husband and I are at. We found out days ago that the condo we rent is being sold, and we don’t know when we’ll get the call that we have to move (quickly). Our dream had been to stay until we paid off student loans and saved for a down payment for a house, but it doesn’t seem like that will happen. We are young and still have a couple years before we have enough student loans paid off to even qualify for a home loan. On top of that, we lost a car in an accident six months ago when a drunk driver hit us, and it looks like buying a replacement is on the back burner…again. We looked at houses a bit and there’s one I absolutely fell in love with and can see us there and starting a family (which that is now on a back burner too). We’re just playing a waiting game…and I am so horrible at waiting.

    • Melanie~ Oh friend, that is so hard 🙁 I am so sorry for all you are dealing with right now. It’s so difficult to understand why some seasons of our lives are so gray and feel like nothing but continual loss, but rest assured your dreams are not blown to bits, God surely has a plan because He is good and faithful in everything. If you need proof of that, read the book of Job. Praying with you today, Lord, Thank you for your protection and mercy for Melanie and her husband, though all looks lost as far as their plans go, Lord, I pray that you would reveal in this time of waiting, YOUR plans for them, Father. Guide their hearts close to yours and sustain and lead them through this time. You are so faithful Lord, and we trust you to provide as your word promises. Amen. (Melanie, you know, I just feel like you need to know to draw closer to God during this time. Sometimes, when it seems He is removing all of our dreams, in reality He is giving us new ones, directing us somehwere else. I dont know what He is planning for you, but I know that He is good, and that you can trust Him. Prayng for you!! )

  18. Thank you so much for this post…it’s exactly what I needed this morning! Be encouraged that the Lord is using you, Kris! I’d like prayer for my discontentment. I’ve been discontent with my job, my finances, my home, my “things” and just feeling like what I’ve been blessed with is never enough. I know my discontentment is not what I’ve been called to, and I’d appreciate prayer for my heart to be in the right place…to be content and to wait on the Lord. Pray for my desires to please Jesus and for my longings to be for Him alone. Thank you!

    • Anna, Discontent is a wisked beast, isn’t it? I think the enemy want us to live in that deep hole of “not enough’. The truth in Christ is taht in Him we have more than enough. He is sufficient. I will be praying for you, Father God, you are the giver of ALL good gifts, I lift Anna to you, Lord, that you might purify her heart, remove the spirit of discontent from her and help her eyes to be opened to the gifts that DO abound in her life. Lord, lead her and help her to hunger and thirst only for you, in a way she never has. We love and praise you, Jesus, thank you for hearing our broken words. Amen. (Anna, if you haven’t read Ann Voskamps 1000 Gifts, you simply must. It is practically impossible to remain doscontent once your eyes become open to the enormous gifts in your life. I’m praying for you, I have been there, I know that feeling, sister-friend!)

  19. We have one of those zip-lock bags in our house, too. What a wonderful analogy. I will tuck this one in my heart and refer to it often.

  20. I long for the people who have jealousies and wants and think if they have what you have they’ll be happy to see that the happiness in inside themselves and no matter how much we want it for them, share it with them, give it to them and never begrudging them their gifts, we cannot ‘create’ happiness for them.
    When we have the gift of not wanting what someone else has but waiting on and enjoying God’s gifts it is more of a blessing than any riches you could ever own. It means we can be happy, happy for ourselves and happy for others and not manipulate but wish and hope for the best for everyone.
    It is the biggest gift of God there is because without this hope and faith in God and for others we are left hurting and not in peace.
    I hope my “peace, piece?, bag” and your prayers will be for those who suffer deprression and addictions and shame in my life so that they will find this peace to see them through their tough times.

    • Liz~ How right you are. We cannot creat happiness for others. True peace comes from God alone. Praying with you, friend, that those who struggle in your life would find the ultimate grace and peace in Christ. Makes me think of this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWw24s5gG8

      One of my all time favorites because the words are so perfect and true. Praying for your friends and family, Liz, may they learn and come to experience the radical hope-giving love of Christ, and mayyou be a solid witness for them, shining His light and offering them a hand.

    • Jenni,
      What a gift to dream of recieving. Praying with you, Lord, what a heart you have given Jenni. Father God, be her all in all always, but especially as she awaits the blessing of her own family.Lord give her hope and encourage her to lean fully into you, and father God, prepare the heart of the man you have set aside fror her, if that is your will. We thank you and praise you for the mighty love you have for us, may we always feel the truth that you are enough, you are everything. Thank you Lord for your gifts. Amen. (Thank you, Jenni. What a blessing to get to pray with you!!)

  21. Wow, I read these words, cried, and felt like you were speaking directly to me! I have felt the call to the mission field since I was 7 years old. Now I’m 47, and a door has opened up, but my husband does not feel the same calling, yet…..please pray that I am able to wait patiently on Gods perfect timing!

    • Renae~ Oh girlfriend, prayig with you that the Lord would speak His plans to your husband too, and that wherever God is leading you, that you would be patient in that waiting, trusting that God has good things in store, andmay you always remember that we live in the mission field. You can serve wherever you are in the waiting, trusting that if and when God calls you to a new place, He will indeed make the way for you. 😉 Praying that you faithfully serve in whatever capacity God allows, and that your husband finds peace and direction as he seeks the Lord’s will along with you! Bless you, my friend. What a beautiful dream you have! What a beautiful servants heart.

  22. I so needed this. I found myself leaning into the story like your son… “with my name on it, really!?” 🙂 Praying for God to make something holy from this life of mine, handed down bit by bit in perfect time.

    • Rachel~ Yes! Really! With YOUR name on it!! 😉 Oh how He will make something Holy out of your days. I just believe that! Praying with you that you would feel thelove of Christ, the full satisfaction of Christ’s grace over you, that you would faithfully serve Him wherever you are in the waiting! What a gift your words are. Bless you, friend!

  23. I am recently widowed, living 2000 miles across the country from the rest of our families. I am upside down in my house, but would very much like to find a way to move back to be closer to home. I even feel that God is leading in that direction, I just don’t know the timing.

    • Betsy~ what a challeneg that is. Praying with you, Lord, please comfort Betsy in the wake of this terrible loss. Strengthen her for the journey you have set her on, Father, guide her heart and mind that she would seek your will above all else, Father, if you would have her move closer to family, won’t you smooth that path and open those doors for her? Lord provide her with a community and support network as she is so far from her loved ones. We know you HEAR and count our every tear, Lord. Thank you for grace. Amen. (Betsy, sincerely hoping it all works out for you to be closer to your loved ones, I know how hard that is. )

    • Father God, please bring your healing comfort to Barbara, and her family, please protect and care for these four precious children and strengthen this family for whatever transisions lay ahead. Hold them together Lord with your loving hands. Amen. (Thank you, Barbara, for sharing this concern, praying continually!)

  24. This brought tears to my eyes! what an amazing analogy. So many things in that Piece bag, that I stand on my tip toes at times trying to reach it! but God says no yet my child, not yet… 🙂

    • Krista, All in His perfect timing, yes? The waiting can be so hard. So thankful you found something here that spoke to you, God be praised! Praying for you as you wait!

  25. Kris, you totally brought tears to my eyes through this post. (Unfortunately, I’m at work and crying at my desk doesn’t make for a very good sight this early in the morning.) What brought me to tears was your son’s complete and utter trust in your words to him and the joy and happiness he felt knowing that God has special gifts set aside for him (and for me).

    I have such an eagerness to use every single gift that I have (and even those not discovered yet) but I know that it’s in HIS time! Being married to a pastor, (newlywed), I struggle with ways that I’d want to minister to women and to write. I’m so impatient yet, as I’m writing this, I’m realizing that through my blog, I’m already doing this! Thank you for your beautiful words!

    • I love what you said, Simone. You’re already doing it. God impressed that very truth on me the other day! Sometimes we keep looking for that other thing and yet, we are ALREADY doing it, already in a position where we can serve. Praying with you friend, that the Lord guides you and your husband in your ministries and equips you to serve Him fully right where you stand. He is so good and faithful, you can TRUST His promises 😉 Bless you, friend!!

  26. loved the story of your boy … my son turns 15 next week, and i remember the age when he still had that wonder. my son became involved in a negative peer group in the fall of 2010 … we had him transported from our home in september 2011 to a program called Teen Challenge in Vero Beach FL … it is a 15 month program. my husband and i are involved in Celebrate Recovery in Texas and God is on the move in our lives. i know that God has Guy (my son), but it still hurts me when i realize the times i missed opportunities with him when he was the age of your son because of my own hurts and hangups … thank you for sharing the story of how you spoke that wisdom into your son’s life … i shared this with my FB friends, and especially those with young children … so they could “steal” your Piece Bag idea – love love love that! wonder what’s in mine? wonder what’s in my husband’s ? and i wonder what’s in Guy’s? what i truly know is that God knows, and He will revel it when we can see it.

    just an added note, the scripture that got us through the last few weeks before Guy was taken, Isaiah 30:21 “whether you turn to the left or to the right, your ears will hear a voice behind your back saying, this is the way, walk in it.” it kept me moving towards that moment when the federal marshall came in and removed our son from our home. it keeps me moving through recovery and healing.

    thank you again for sharing your heart.
    candy

    • Candy~ What a difficult thing for you all to endure. I am so sorry that you have had to exerience this, but you know, God IS on the move and He will restore your family in His perfect time. I am praying with you, Lord send your “hound of Heaven” to capture Guy’s heart. father may He come to repentance and may there be full reconciliation through your grace for this family. Lord, help Candy and her husband to grow and strengthen in their relationship with you, that they might be the best parents for the task. You have given them this man-boy, and you know the struggles they have had, Lord, through your grace, wipe the slate clean and allow them to begin again. Amen. (Candy, as a momma, I can only imagine the heartache you have felt, I will continue to pray for your family. May God be glorified by the testimony He is writingin your lives!)

      • thank you kris … it’s been difficult, but i wouldn’t trade it for the world. i know that sounds weird but God has used Guy’s rebellion to make Himself known to my husband and i in a way we have never seen before … my heart is full of gratitude … i am so awed by the ways in which God has shown Himself to us … it actually started with me praying january 2011 that God would take Guy down; the next month the ceiling caved in our living room from frozen pipes, we moved to a friend’s house for the rest of the school year, which put Guy in closer proximity to the negative friends. We found out later he was sneaking out of the house at night … we had no clue. i know how bizarre it sounds … my husband and i have blamed ourselves so many times for putting him in that situation … and yet when i remembered my prayer, i saw that God was in the middle of it all … He was in the middle of us all …

        i love the term “hound of heaven” … i can’t remember if that is Buechner, but i love that term for Him … He never gives up on us … and because of that we can’t give up on each other !!!
        blessings to you and what you do

  27. I see that pride is a problem in my relationships and within our family. I ask for prayers that this vice is dispelled and that we can grow closer, more open and loving with each other.

    • Rose. Oh friend. I know this struggle too well. Pride has held me in a vice for years and only now, this lentent season actually Has God begun to break me. It has not been easy, but He has been (and is) abundantly good andfaithful. Praying with you, Lord, pride is such an ugly beast. We ask that you would continue to tear it away from our souls,Lord, humble us, help us to live transparent lives, unafraid to show ourselves, no longerhindered by the pride that rots us. In Christ’s name, amen! (Thank you Rose for sharing this, pride could have kept you from being honest, but God is already working 😉 Praying still! )

  28. Kris,
    Thanks so much for this post. I know that God has a plan for me. Patience is being exercised- getting stronger. However, I do struggle often in the waiting and not wanting to miss a thing that the Lord has for me. I lost my job after 18 yrs.–then cancer..blah, blah…I have been trying to get a business started while holding down a part time job to help make ends meet (and they aren’t) I struggle daily with wondering if I am to take a leap of faith–quit that job and pursue the gift that I feel that He gave me. Through my devotions I feel that He is telling me to wait. So, I do. While doing what I can to keep the business alive. This confusion is horrible. I don’t want to fail–and have given up a job. (they are SO hard to find in California) I need prayer for clear direction and His peace in knowing that I am where He wants me to be. Thank you Kris…God bless you and your ministry!!

    • Barbie~ my friend, i hear your words and pray for you now, that the Lord would guide and strengthen you, that He would lead you in the direction He wanst you to g, and that you would find true peace and contentment in the waiting It is SO hard sometimes and we dont always get to know why and for how long the wait will last, but we know He is faithful and has plans for our lives. Keep seeking Him in this challenging time, in drawing closer to Him, you WILL find contentment and blessing as your heart grows closer to His. Thank you, Barbie, for allowing me to pray with you..

      • Thank you Kris. It IS a most challenging time. I do look forward, more than anything else to feel His presence. Bless you dear.

  29. My pieces are right there, finally ready for the taking, all I have to do is reach out and grab them! This dream – this dream I’ve dreamt for so long could come true if I would just reach. And now that God has placed it right there – I’m scared! I hesitate! Jump! Grab the rings! You can do it, girl!

    • You CAN do it, Kim! 😉 Don’t let fear steal your dreams! I have done that, it’s horrible! Praying God removes the spirit of fear, embrace the truth that God has answered your prayers and you are to obediently grab hold and live them full! What grace for you! Grab it, Girlfriend!! 😉 By His strength, for His glory!!

  30. Father, thank You, for bringing me here today to see Kris’ heart in a form of words. You know how this post touched me, after yesterday’s events with my own too-small piece bag… What an honor to have my own gift bag, Lord. I pray I humbly accept each gift you have planned just for me with the honor it deserves.
    Father God, what a treasure You have built in Kris’ second son. I know You have big plans for him with countless gifts waiting to be given. I pray he continues to see how You love him uniquely. How You shower him with his own unique gifts of grace. I pray he discovers and accepts the talents You have bestowed upon him. May he use them for Your glory in Jesus’ name. Help him see You, Lord. In all Your wonder and majesty.
    It is in Your name I pray, Jesus, my loving Redeemer…amen.

    • Nikki~ What a gift your prayers are here. Your sweet, genuine words… poured out here, incence wafting through the air. May he hear our hearts together, and answer according to His amazing purposes! Bless you, sister!!

  31. Thank you so much for writing this, I know everything is in God’s perfect timing Not mine, which I just went through a real struggle the last few days dealing with this very thing, I have been praying the Lord would bring a buyer for my home (need to find cheaper living) and my Boaz into my life. I’ve been praying very hard about both these things and the waiting………… is so difficult! I realize I’ve been focusing on the things I don’t have yet, Not on what I’ve been blessed with and the one who gives me those Blessings! I tend to compare myself and what I don’t have to people around me, which for me is very dangerous, which leads to coveting and feeling sorry for my self instead of looking around me and helping those that are not as fortunate as I am. In the last couple of days decided to go on a missions trip,I hope to get out of my comfort zone and realize how blessed I truely am. Thank you for your words!

    • Bonny~ How I know the slippery rocks of wandering the coveting cliffs. I hate that canyon and too often I have lost my footing there. Praying with you, that you would count and see your gifts and be content in Christ with all He has laid before you right now. He has blessed you and will bless you still, hold on to your hope and the promises He has given you. He is so faithful! Bless you, friend.

  32. Kris, I was in tears reading your post today. This resonated so deeply with me…the wondering if God really has special things in store for you, or even that He really loves you, when life has been so hard and so hopeless for so long. I waited a long time to be married, only to now endure ongoing verbal abuse. I always dreamed of being adored and cherished by my husband and instead, it’s nothing close. Perhaps that is why I miscarried the only child we conceived together. And haven’t been able to get pregnant again since. It was another dream to be a mom to a housefull of children. I am left wondering if God even wants me to be a mom? If not, then why did He give me the desire? Or am I not getting pregnant because (as my husband has said) I would be a bad mom? I have SO many unfulfilled dreams…and at 42 (as of next week) my hope is failing. If you do have a moment to pray for me, I thank you!! Blessings!

    • Sister, God has a plan for you. No matter what others say or do, He loves you. YOU! All of you, exactly who you are. He made you and formed you and gave you the love you have for a purpose. Sometimes our wants outshine the desires He has for us, and we cant see all He has because our eyes are so focused on our own want and desire. You would not be a bad mom, and I pray in the name of Jesus that those lying words spoken to you by someone so close would be cast out! Jeremiah 29:11-12 always speak to me and I speak and pray them over you now, sister: “11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you”. Do not entertain lying thoughts and discouraging words. Our God is a God of love, peace, redemption, grace, strength, and joy. He would not and does not speak anything other than those things to you. Perhaps God wants you to be a mom in a different way then you have thought; perhaps it is right in your line of sight,but you are not able to see it at this moment. Sister, do not be disheartened; be encouraged. YOU are loved, by your Father, the same One who created the heavens and the earth, who calls each star by name. And how much more does He love you? MORE MORE MORE 🙂 I do not know your name, but I know your heart, because He knows you and because I know Him, you and I are bonded. Blessings. Here is a song by Fireflight which speaks to me: He Weeps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Q1u38JSHQ
      Your Sister in Christ ~Jennifer

    • My friend. Your words brought tears to my eyes. I am so sorry for the struggles you are living with. God knows your name, He knows your heart, and counts your tears. He DOES love you with a love that went straight to the cross just for you. He will NEVER leave you, nor forsake you and in Him ALL hope can be found. Sister, you’re miscarriage is not a punishment. I am so sorry for your loss and ongoing struggle. Please, seek help. I can and will pray, but you must find a safe place to be. Praying Lord, please send your comforting angels to protect thsi sweet sister, Lord, you KNOW the details fo her struggle and I ask that you would bring healing to her heart, to her soul, Lord, that you would change the heart of the man she married, that He would find you and repent form his wounding ways. Lord stregnthen her for the choices she must make, give her wisdom and a community of sanctuary where she might find rest and recovery. Lord, in your Holy name, Amen.

  33. This came at the perfect time. Yesterday, my divorce was finalized after 2 1/2 years apart. It was bittersweet, and over the past couple of years I have wondered if I would have another relationship. That is my thing sitting on the shelf, the thing I long for: a relationship; but not just any relationship, but one that is glorifying to God and puts Him first in all things. I am at this moment trying to let go of the unbelievable nagging want I feel for this, to be loved, to love someone and allow God to work in it, in this pain I feel, to heal me, to make me into the woman He knows I can be, filled with His love to be able to go out and love others. Because He has more for me, better than I can make happen myself, and I need to rest in this truth. So please pray I would rest in this truth. Thank you. And for all the ladies above and below me, I will be praying for you. God loves you and knows you. He knows your pain, your struggles, your wants, your needs, He knows every part of you. When life is hard (and if we are honest, when isnt it?), and it seems like He isnt anywhere near, remember He goes before you, He is behind you, He is holding you and He is lifting you. He has you and me; we just need to surrender. Blessings, sisters. In His love and grace. Desperately Dependant on Christ ~Jennifer

    • Jennifer, what grace your words are here for others. Praying with and for you, that you would indeed rest in HIS truth that you can be who He created you to be when you fully surrender to Him. May you find healing from your struggles, hope from the recovery of your wounds. he is faithfulalways and will give you the desires of your heart as you seek His face in all things. Bless you, friend. Thank you for your faithful prayers for others. You bless many!

    • Wow Jennifer, these words are if I had written them myself. The desires of our hearts are of the same. I am praying that you find your joy again. God bless.

    • Your words touched me Jennifer – as you can see from my post below, I’m also divorced. For myself it was more relief than bittersweet, but I too wonder about another relationship and struggle to find answers in the midst of a friendship. However, I can say this. In the five and a half years since my separation, God has proved Himself faithful over and over again. I am surrounded by women who lift me up and pray for me. Miraculous financial provisions are too many to count. And a passion and purpose have been placed in my heart so that I now am priviledged to lead an outreach ministry in my church. God has taken this season of aloneness and made things bloom. Perhaps that’s why I feel that ‘unbelievable nagging’ as you call it. God has given me so much in so many areas of my life and it is only in the area of relationship that I continue to struggle. I ask Him why if He has been so gracious in so many other areas, He withholds in this one. But we are told He withholds no good thing from His children. So I know He has a reason and a purpose. I know it is what is best for me, but somedays it’s still a struggle. Praying for you dear sister…that God would grant us both the desires of heart. Toni

  34. thank you so much ..I really needed to read this today of all days! My hubby and I have dreams and desires of our own, but right now we are just in a state of confusion lol! everything is such a darn mystery right now with our life, that it gets frustrating. All doors seem shut or have been shut in our faces, disappointment after disappointment. We are trying not to grow so impatient while waiting on god’s timing ! It feels like we are just stuck between a rock and a hardplace and it’s just driving us nuts ha! I feel like we have made so many mistakes that we will never get to the land of “overflowing milk and honey ” : (…

    • Genalyn~ I know that feeling so well. I have wandered through so many deserts, aching, tired, disgruntled. And Each time has beenfor good reason, God has used those hot dry seasons to refine me. Praying that you and your husband would draw closer to Him, that you would be obedient in the waiting, counting blessings along the way, taking just enough Mana, looking forward with hope and expectations. The day is coming when you will reach fertile land, praying you are ready! Bless you, friend. He is faithful, and will lead you through! We are not without hope! 😉

  35. I so needed to read this today. I long for things I have no need of at this time. As a single parent I long for help..with groceries.. bills..yardwork..oil changes..someone to talk to..an adult to brainstorm with…and the list goes on. But while reading this entry I realized. God has a bag and a Destiny desgined just for me. ~

    • I am right there with you, sister! Being a single parent is doubley hard, but with God all things are possible and when we are weak, He is strong. Praying for you 🙂
      ~jennifer

    • Tamerriell~ My prayers are with you, that the Lord would strngthen and encourage you, that He would be your hope and renewed joy day after day as you serve Him in all you do. He does have good gifts just for you, and may you continue to be encouraged in the truth of His promises. Bless you, friend. It is not easy but the Lord goes with you!

  36. Piece / Peace. 🙂 I’m a full time professional (MBA) w/ 3 children and a husband who travels. I was diagnosed w/ melanoma (Stage 1A) in November as I held my 10 day old baby. It was removed w/ surgery only – thank GOD – but it shook me to my core. I’ve struggled with wanting more of a work/life balance and am waiting on God’s guidance as to what to do… I am missing too much of their lives but honestly cannot afford to be home full time. My current company says they offer flex work – but they don’t… I’m becoming frustrated, impatient, angry… and nobody is getting anything good from me. I’m juggling too many balls and it’s not long before I drop something – or someone. 🙁 Thank you for your message – hits home.

    • Dani~ I don’t know how you manage, that is a lot for anyone to try to keep up with. I am praying for you, that the Lord gives you rest, and insight into how to restructure things in your schedule. Praying He would reveal some options to you, that you might be able to lay something down and find rest for your weary heart. Praying for you tonight, friend. Bless you.

  37. Thank you for this encouraging post.
    I’m waiting for God’s purpose to be revealed in my life. I believe it has to do with writing, but I laid that down for awhile because I wasn’t sure what God wants me to do with it. So, I’m praying that He will confirm this in some form or another. The other thing I’m waiting for is to finally be able to get out of financial bondage to debt.

    • Tiffany~ Praying with you, Lord thank you for the promises you have revealed to Tiffany, father, help her to discern your truth and to know clearly what you are calling her to do. Thank you Lord, for answering us when we call to you! Amen. (bless you,Tiffany, thank you for letting me pray with you!)

  38. I just happened to stumble across your blog, and it is exactly what I needed to hear. Several years ago, God blessed me with an amazing guy in my life. He has been my best friend since high school. Over the years, our friendship has grown and we began dating. He’s a soldier in the Army. Often, I feel as if time and distance work against us. I do a lot of waiting, and worrying. I long for marriage, but I realize that he and I have our own business to take care of and our own relationships with God to nurture before taking that step. I know from experience that you can be blessed beyond what you imagined if you just wait for God’s gifts. I know that by waiting and praying for my soldier that I will be able to experience God’s blessings in His time. Thank you so much for this reminder.

    • Amy Anne~ What wisdom you have shown, your relationship with the Lord is the most important one. God will bless you for remaining faithful to HIM first and foremost. Praying with you that the Lord will reveal when the time is right. Bless you, friend!

  39. Yes, for sure, this. We have been waiting and wondering for a potential new job for my husband — and even in the midst, of seeing this come true, we are waiting for a big something else for our personal, family life…even with the recent receiving, the waiting is hard

    • Ptricia~ Yes! REALLY! 😉 Your name is on it!! He has good things for you!! Hold fast to his promises my friend! Praying He gives you the patience, understanding and motivation you need to seek Him fully and wait on His reply! 😉

  40. I have no doubt, especially after reading this post, that God places people in our lives just when we need them most. In your case, Kris, He’s given you the exact words I needed, so eloquently spoken to my heart via this (in)courage blog post. Thank you for so graciously offering to pray for others. I, myself, am praying for the patience to wait on God’s “piece bag” for me. Divorced now for almost 8 years, I long for a family again. Not that the lack of a relationship should keep me from happiness but my loneliness has become overwhelming. My son is a teenager now and spends much more time with his Dad than me and most often I find myself alone. Alone in a world where genuine, kind, honest, Men of God are hard to come by.

    I have a couple unspoken requests as well…but God knows my heart… and He knows your prayers before they’re spoken.

    May God bless you and your family and may your words continue to bless the broken spirited like me.

    AP

    • Amanda~ I am so humbled that you found grace in my broken words. Glory to God! Praying with you for these unspoken needs, god hears and KNOWS and loves you. He will answer and bless you with His beautiful, personally crafted answer, specific to your needs. He is so good and faithful, we can trust Him with every breath, for He is in all the moments. Bless you, friend.

    • Amanda, thank you for your words on my post. Praying with you and for you. I am right there with you, sister. RIGHT there 🙂 He knows what we need and what we want, and we can count on Him answering. It may not be what we thought we wanted or needed, BUT it will ALWAYS be better than what we could have done ourselves, right? 🙂 Blessings ~Jennifer

  41. After 31 years in an abusive marriage, my divorce was final 1 1/2 years ago (after a 4 yr separation). I would love a healthly, godly, relationship. I have a friend – a godly man who has many wonderful qualities – except that he doesn’t appear to want to move into a dating relationship. He has never been married. I’ve struggled with my feelings for him for several years, asking God to help me surrender them and be content in the friendship but it is very difficult and this love I have for him has only grown. I don’t want to remove him from my life altogether – we enjoy each other’s company, serve together in a number of ways, and pray for each other. On the other hand, the pain of wanting something just out of reach can be difficult at times. 3 weeks ago I put a fleece before God asking that something very specific would be given to me if there was any reason to continue to wait – if in God’s timing, there was something to hope for. Last Wednesday, long after I had actually forgotten about my request, I received the item I specified. I have shared this story with 2-3 close friends who know my journey and I’m getting conflicting feedback. I asked God today to give me clarification…to show me whether I was imposing my will and desires on this situation and not really hearing from him. Today’s (in)courage made me laugh – the first article was about The Rut of Want and how sometimes God says no – and then I read yours. Once again I feel like the messages I’ve received are conflicting. I want nothing more than to do God’s will. I don’t have another ’31 year mistake’ in me. I am willing to wait if this man is God’s choice for my future. If what happened was truly an answer to my fleece, I don’t want to be disobedient by questioning it. By the same token, I know how badly I want this and I don’t want to be ‘seeing’ answers where there are none. I desperately need to hear God’s unmistakeable voice in this matter.

    • Toni~ Praying right now, Lord, would you please speak clearly to Toni, Father, answer her with your unmistakable truth that she would feel confident in the choices and actions she is to make. Confusion is not from you Lord, and we pray against the spirit of the enemy who seeks to confuse and distract from your great truths. Lord, thank you for hearing us, for answering, for loving us so faithfully, in Jesus Holy name, Amen. –Thank you Toni. praying hard for you!

      • Toni, I am right there with you!! I have been struggling this last year with someone I care about very dearly, but having been married twice and burned twice, he is hesitant to move forward without audibly hearing God’s will in it. Today, after a message at church about how God wants EVERY part of us, not just the little parts or the easy parts, but ALL of us, I realized I had been holding this relationship apart from Him; essentially making it an idol before Him. With that realization, I told my friend (who has become my best friend over the past year and I love deeply), that I needed to cut off all communication with him for at least a week, and possibly longer, so I could hear God’s leading in it. I want my relationship with Christ to be number 1, and I realized unconsciously that I was putting my friend and the desire for a relationship before my relationship with Christ. I told my friend that my relationship with Christ is more important than anything, and even if that means cutting him (Dean) out of my life, no matter how devastated and heartbroken I am at the idea, I will do it. And I did. Because my life is nothing without Christ, and I wouldnt want to live my life that way, with Him being second in anyway. I truly believe that by making this sacrifice, repenting before the Lord over putting this relationship before Him, He will give me some clarity in the matter. I am not saying that this is what you should do. I believe God will show you what you are to do, and by immersing yourself in prayer and in His word, He will be clear. And if it isnt clear, then wait. 🙂 Which I know is easier to say than do, but again, I am right there with you. I will continue to keep you in prayer and thank you for your encouraging words above on my post. You and the other ladies brought tears to my eyes. Blessings ~Jennifer

  42. I really needed this today. THANK YOU! I thought I married a man who would look to the Lord in all for our blended family, but he chose not to. He told me that God did not love me or my son, and God had told him our marriage was over. It’s taken me almost two years to come to terms with this, and I know now he was listening
    to his own selfish desires and not to God. I’ve decided to look at this as a blessing, and pray for him to find his way back to the Lord with the woman who broke up our marriage.

    • Angela~ What heartbreak 🙁 I am so sorry you have experienced such a terrible pain. Your heart to pray for the man who wounded you is such a gift, you have taken the power away from the enemy and turned this into an opprotunity to exhibit grace of Christ! Standing with you in prayer for this man, and this woman, that they might find redemption in Him, and that God would bless you for your obedience in forgivness. You inspire! Bless you!

  43. Oh thank you for this today. This has been my biggest struggle lately… The problem is seeing what might very well be your piece bag, hanging right over your head, JUST out of reach. I’m trying not to jump up and grab it, but wait patiently for the Lord’s to lower it to me in His timing. Trying to rest in the knowledge that this bag of gifts was truly made just for me and that what I find inside is exactly what I need.

    • It IS hard, Lisa! I am the least patient person, but God is teaching me much about the waiting. It is good and necessary that we recieve His blessings in HIS time. He knows what is best. trust him and rest in that promise. Praying with you in the anxious waiting, may you find rest and peace and may you learn much about His character, abd about how to more fully experience Him during this time.

  44. What a beautiful picture, God’s gifts for me all bound together and waiting until I am ready to receive them! I’ve struggled so many times with my wants and plans conflicting with God’s timing. Right now I’m getting ready to step into the middle of a blessing–one I thought would come about a year ago. As I look at everything now, though, I can see (though my sight is still a little fuzzy!) how God’s timing makes this gift of grad school for medical physics so much better!

    Still, though, in the midst of this blessing, I strain for a peek into that “piece bag” with my name on it, wondering if–just maybe–I might catch a glimpse of what’s in store. Though medical physics has a hold on my heart, what really makes it skip a beat is writing. That’s the dream that seems to be hanging just out of reach right now, the desire of my heart that just won’t fade into the background where sometimes I think it should belong…

    • WHat gifts He has given you, Mandy. Such knowledge and a heart for Him. Chase your dreams and wait expectantly as he doles out bit by bit, the goodness he has for you, and if your hearts desire is to write, then lease, pick up the pen, grab a minute in front of the keyboard and pour it out. For years I allowed my desire, my hope of writing sit dusty and unused, I cannot tell you the joy I experience when I do what I was made to do! You could very well be made for both writing and medical physics 😉 Praying with you, friend! 🙂

  45. My precious heart-sister, you know how much this blesses me. You’ve glimpsed my “piece bag”, and you know its secret treasures and how much I long to claim them. Thank you for this beautiful reminder to wait patiently for the good gifts emblazoned with my name. I’ve seen your bag, too, sister, and it. is. glorious.

    Waiting expectantly with you. I love you. XOXOXO

    • Oh my soul-sister. *tears* we’ve shared glimpses of what He has shown us, and they are just fragments of the whole. I love being able to wait and pray with you, trusting in God’s perfect will for our lives. I am forever changed and blessed that He dropped you into mine! Praying constantly for and with you. It . is. Glorious!! XOXO

  46. This was BEAUTIFUL to read! I am waiting for complete healing from Pulmonary Hypertension, a rare lung disease (no cure) I was diagnosed w almost 4 yrs ago. I don’t look sick but struggle in small ways (cant dance, run, exercise, bike ride, exert my heart). I am a mommy of two (J,6 & LM, 4). My hubby does A LOT, everything really, around the house, which I feel bad that I can’t do more. I homeschool, work P/T to receive medical benefits (meds are costly).
    THANK YOU SO MUCH! Blessings!!! 🙂

    • Oh Liz~ What a challenge you face. Praying with you for healing and divine mercy in your illness. My heart breaks for the struggle you face daily, but your spirit, your faith is so beautiful, God will bless you how ever He sees fit and you can trust Him that it will be right and good because He is exactly that. What an honor it is to hear your story, and to kneel at the foot of the cross beside you. Praying, my friend!

  47. For another baby. And I do know, with all of my being, that the only reason we don’t have this yet is because not having another baby is truly what is best right now. Doesn’t stop the hurt, but gives deep down peace. Thank You, God, for saying “no” right now.

    • Elizabeth~ That’s so hard, when the longing is there, but the answer is no, or wait… praying that you find fulfillment in Christ and that you are able to wait patiently for His perfect timing. God gives according to His purposes and according to His kairos. When He answers your prayer, you will be greatly blessed by the perfect order of His divine plan for your family. Praying you feel His love in your anxiousness.

  48. Kris, thank you so much for your encouraging words! I really needed to hear them today. So thankful that God always gives us what we need at the right time. I have been praying for things to change in my life financially for a long time and it seems like it never gets better only worse. I’m trying to be patient with God and trust in His timing but it gets so hard when the bills are due and you wonder how your gonna come up with the money to pay them. We do serve a faithful God though and He has never failed me . Thank you for the reminder that He knows best and His timing is always right. Please pray that I will keep my eyes on Him and not let worry consume me. God Bless!!

    • Heather, praying God’s perfect provision for you tonight, Lord would you come and comfort Heather, Lord, reveal the various ways you provide and encourage her heart, show her she can trust you, Lord speak comfort to her, and help her to reamain faithful, even when things appear scary and uncertain. Lord you are our rock and our deliverer. We put our faith in you and in your good and perfect love. Amen. (thanks, Heather for allowing me to pray with you, what ablessing it is!)

  49. Like many others, this is what I needed to hear. Right now and for the last year the desire for my business to become a success…sooner rather than later, has taken control over my life. I’ve become angry. In the beginning I was on fire, for God, for people, for a lot of things. I grew so deeply in my faith and closer to the Lord. But things didn’t turn out the way I expected. Doors keep getting shut, things keep falling apart, the business debt is hanging over my head, and although I know I need to have faith and be thankful no matter what the circumstances, I feel like giving up. This emotional battle between me and the enemy has worn me out. I know all the right ways to think, all the things I need to do – be grateful, look at the blessings, read the Word, pray, trust, and I do them but there’s still this lingering anger toward God. Why did He call me to do this and then not follow through? I know that isn’t true, but sometimes that’s how i feel. I feel Him saying I’m not ready for it and I need to grow or now isn’t the time. Maybe I didn’t listen in the beginning and jumped the gun. I guess I won’t know until things fall into place. Yes, I need prayer. Thank you.

    • Sandi~ Oh friend, I have been where you are, not with owning a business, but with feeling that I have done everytthing God asked and still failed. I have been angry, and bitter, and confused. You know what got me through it? Out right praise and worship. Worshipping god with praise in the hardest moments of life has a power over the enemy like nothing else. I have seen things turn everytime. I get on my face and just praise God as if my life depended on it, and really, it does. Praying for you during this difficult time, that you would feel His peace, know His direction and fight back the arrows of the enemy. Put on the full armor, my friend, and praise God in the face of defeat. Standing this evening with you! (hugs)

      • Okay, WOW. So the day you posted this I tried praising His name and since I was still angry, nothing much really happened. I’ve piped down a bit since then and truly praised His name in the shower this morning and there it was…freedom. Thank you Kris. Thank you so much.

        • Sandi~ what an awesome praise report! God is so faithful and loves you so much!! I am so happy to hear this! Praying for you, that you would continue to praise Him, no matter what!! He has not abandoned you, now will he. Squash the enemy’s lies with your sweet praises of the Jesus who has set you free and given you victory in His holy name!! Woohoo! Praising the Lord with you!! 😉

  50. It always amazes me how God loves us so much that He orchestrates perfect moments to happen just when we most need it! Your story was one of those moments!
    These last few years have been an almost constant,eye opening, time of growth & renewed awareness of myself & our Lord. Struggling with health issues, a broken marriage, to provide the very basics like a safe vehicle, clothing, shoes…on disability, (which is now in the appeal process after not being renewed.) Raising my grandson in a body that doesn’t work so well… Many moments of this is not what my life was supposed to be and yet even more of breath taking gratitude, thankfulness & awe at a God who meets me right where I am with arms wide open. I know He will provide. He never fails us yet sometimes my want for “security” overshadows my faith in His provision. Thank you!!

    • Kristina~ You face many challenges, but you face God with open arms and a grateful heart! I will be praying for you, for your health, for God to equip you and provide for you, wit all you are doing. He is so gracious and loving, you can trust Him to be your ever-present help. Bless you, sweet friend.

  51. I am at an impass in my life where I have to do something that is very difficult that will alter my life and the life of my family but after a lot of years of praying and hoping things would change they haven’t and in some ways have even gotten worse. I am not sure why I am on this path but I know that I am being called to make a change and hopefully that change will bring a new beginning.

    • Dawn,
      Praying with you tonight, that the Lord would guide you in your decision. May He give you His wisdom and discernment as you go, and may your ears and eyes be open to His small voice. God bless you friend, as you move in a new direction.

  52. What a beautiful post. I almost feel selfish and guilty for voicing mine here because I am in such a real and deep place with God now and pretty content with where He has me in life. Still, there is a tugging and desire for a person to share this life journey with. I want to wait well in my singleness but not lose the hope for a husband and family.

    • Andrea~ I think it is such a gift that you feel so content with where God has you, what a blessing! Praying that He continues to bless you with that peace as you live your singleness well 😉 What a beautiful testimony to the awesome, fulfilling power of Christ. He truly is your All in all! 😉

  53. A job for my husband that has a direction, doesn’t leave him dreading his work, stressing out weeks in advance, bosses who listen and don’t assume negative things about someone who has proven his heart in his work.
    My husband is a hard working man of integrity, watching him wither under the burden of his current, direction-less job is breaking my heart 🙁

    • M~ I know this burden, I have seen it in many other men’s lives. It’s a terrible weight to carry. Praying for your husband, that the Lord would ease the load, change the heart of his employer, sustain and strengthen your husband for as long as he must endure it. Praying you are able to support and encourage him as you both seek a solution. God is faithful, my friend. He hears and KNOWS. He will provide!

  54. Such a lovely post. Yes, I can always use prayer. I would like to see several dreams come to fruition. Thank you for sharing this. 🙂

    • Praying with and for you, Jamie. May the Good Lord bring the dreams to light and weave them throughout the tapestry of your days. He is good and will bless you for seeking Him.

  55. I would like my Heavenly Father to bring godly relationships into my life and to enable me to find a job that will provide service to him; however, I don’t know exactly what that entails. I know He is with me and I give thanks for that. Thank you for your prayer and may God bless you!

    • Kathy~ Praying for the Lord to provide a job that allows you to serve Him as He calls you…. You can serve where you are, as we live among the needy all around us 😉 Lord please lead Kathy to the missionfield of your choosing and enable and equip her for the tasks you have called her to! Thank you Jesus for hearing our prayers, and answering our hearts cry.
      (Kathy, what a wonderful servants heart you display, praying He will show you where the need is, and allow you to be a vessel for Him! 😉 )

  56. Please please pray for me…there is a part of my life I need closure in and I don’t know how to get it. I’ve tried before and been rejected…I don’t know exactly what I need but know I can’t be married before this person in my past is put to rest. I desperately want this to be over I pray he would get in touch with me because I don’t know how to. The good things God has for me..yes I believe it but I am scared. Will any sisters stand with me in this? I’ve been praying tonight and feel like God says the next 3 months are crucial in this..but I need you to stand with me for my future marriage, children and home. I can’t have a part of my past killing my future. If you have any verses or words from God please share them with me,
    The article spoke to me so much, especially what your boy said in bed,I feel I can sleep now knowing that truth..
    Therapy in advance

    • Catherine, lifting you up tonight, praying the Lord would bring closure to the situation and relieve you from the weight of it. He is faithful to answer, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” – Phil 4:19 Rest in His care, friend, He KNOWS what is needed. He will answer according to HIS good purposes. Trust Him. 😉

  57. ADOPTION. We have gone through 3 failed adoptions and yet every ounce of my husband and my heart knows that this is a journey that God has specifically put us on. We are willing to stop if He says NO but every time we try to stop the process we get an affirmation to push forward. This waiting has been the hardest thing my husband and I have ever gone through. We are broken to the quick.

    Beth Ramsey

    • Praying for you and your husband, Beth- Lord lifting Beth and husband up to you tonight, Father God, you have led them down this path towards adoption, we ask for your continued guidance and wisdom in the process, Lord you know how hard it has ben, we ask for you to sustain them in the waiting, strngthen and prepare their hearts for the child you have chosen especially for them. May they stand strong together, trusting in your hope and provision, as they wait for you to bring the dream to fruition. In Jesus name, amen. (Beth, we have good friends that experienced something similar with their adoption, several near attempts, several heartbreaks along the way, but God is faithful, they now have their baby girl for two years– be encouraged friend, God has this in His hands)

      • Beth, I just want you to know that we (my husband and I) will pray with you as well. We have walked the same road with adoption and also had 3 failed adoptions. One in particular was very hard for me because it seemed to be the “perfect” situation. Our prayer was for the right child, with the right birthparents, at the right time. Well, just as we were going to give up God answered our prayer and now we have a beautiful 2 year old boy! Don’t give up!! God has a perfect plan for you and your child….in His time….and it will be His best!

  58. marriage – 2 mos ago my husband told me he didn’t love me. I have failed to respect him, put him 1st (after God), failed to be his ‘help meet’ along with other things such as being suspicious and jealous (with no reason other than my past)

    Now after 2 mos of intense prayer, Bible study, seeking God, counseling…he is still cold and indifferent but says he’s here…trying to want to be with me.

    please pray God will turn his heart back to me, that I will continue to make the necessary changes and give us a marriage that will honor and glorify the Lord.

    • K- oh my, friend. I am so sorry for our struggles. Praying with you that the Lord would honor y hopes and desires to be restored in your marriage, and that your husbands heart would turn to you once again. Continue to seek the Lord on this, you are making such necessary changes. Praying for you, friend!

    • Debbie- praying with you, Father God, thank you for Debbie’s son, thank you for her faithfulness to seek your face and comfort in this difficult thing. Lord restore her son to His faith, to his relationship with you, may he walk with renewed obedience and joy in you, Lord, all of his days. Thank you Lord for the grace you show us prodigals. We pray this in Jesus name, amen

      • Lorri-praying for you, friend, that the Lord would be with Abigail and your family, that His hands would knit you all together at the perfect time. He is gracious and hears our hearts, praying for you!

  59. Thank you so much for your post! Like others before me have said, it brought tears to my eyes. If you would pray for me I sure would appreciate it. I am in school full time right now working towards the degree that will help achieve the dream I believe God planted in my heart when I was in high school. I’m also working and trying to be there for my family who are all going through different seasons-my younger brother just got married, dad just beat colon cancer, grandmother facing kidney surgery…..but selfishly, above all that, I long for a special someone. My guy that I can text or call and say I need a hug and he will come by and just hug me, maybe bring me coffee to say he loves me, all that romantic stuff. It’s the desire of my heart, and it’s horrible because I am jealous of my brother who is almost 5 years younger than me because he has found that someone and has a great job and his own place and….wow this whole post seems very selfish and so focused on me when everyone else is going through rougher times. So maybe the prayer should be that I am a more others focused person and just not think about what I want? I don’t know…..

    • Jennifer, what a lot of challenging things to face all within such a short time span. Praying with you that the Lord would use these challenges to strengthen your faith, to encourage you to walk closer with Him. Praying that the selfishness you admit to would be replaced with joy in Christ, that you would have the strength to rejoice with those around you who are being blessed in ways you long for yourself . You are also receiving gifts, friend, each day, each moment, grace abounds! Praying that you would see that, and would find fulfillment in knowing that God has His best for you always. Hang in there, lean on the Lord for strength. Praying for you!

  60. Hi Kris,
    I’ve been waiting for love & the desire of my heart, for so long. I want to have a loving life partner but it seems to evade me while I just watch couples enjoying togetherness. I’m in so much angst & longing that sometimes it kills my spirit, the aloneness gets to me. Pls kindly pray for me that God will grant my desire.
    Thank you & God bless!
    Pat

    • Pat, I am sorry you are struggling with lonliness. Hw hard that can be. 🙁 I love the verses in proverbs 18:24 that says we have a friend in Jesus, and that He is closer than a brother. He hears your heart and knows your longing. Praying you find rest in that truth, remembering in your lonliness that you are never really alone, the Lord walks closely with you. Praying He wraps His comforting arms around you, that you may experience the full measure of His adoration for you, His most precious child.

  61. I am sitting hear near tears after reading this beautiful post. I’ve read through the comments and your beautiful prayers and so many of them speak to my heart. At first, I thought perhaps I didn’t have anything I need prayer for. But one thing does come to mind, that I would feel cherished. Things have been rough on the husband over the last three years. Job loss, loss of our home and broken down truck, it was just all so much. He’s a different man today. Although I love Him dearly, I don’t often feel cherished. We are so busy with work and ministry and it’s hard to find our special times together. I know I need to root myself down in Christ, for that is where my feelings of being cherished truly come. Thank you for your gift of encouragement my beautiful friend!

    • My sweet friend, what a sad thing to not feel cherished. Life takes its toll on us all and some seasons cable so dry and barren. Praying with you and for you that the Lord would restore you marriage to it’s rightful condition. Praying that God comforts you and your husband in the hard moments and brings you ever closer together to weather the hard times together, treasuring each other. Praying for you, Barbie. The Lord hear and is faithful!

  62. Thank you for your praying heart.
    I’m four months into healing from a broken engagement, God saved me for Himself, but my heart broke all the same. Preparing to move to Africa for ministry. Please pray for continues opened doors and healing and however else the Lord leads you to pray.

    • Deborah-I am so sorry, friend. How hard that is 🙁 Father God, I ask that you would comfort Deborah, Lord that you would lead her through this grieving process and help her to trust you in this difficult time. You,Lord have a plan for her life, and we praise you for your divine purposes and gifts for her life. Thank you Lord for giving her a new direction. Pease encourage her heart and strengthen her for this difficult season. In Jesus name, amen. (thank you, Deborah, praying for you!)

  63. If I had to sum it up in one word . . . daughter. I want so much for her dreams to come true. And I am learning to trust that He loves her even more than I do. Thank you for this post . . . it touched my heart and spoke directly to me.

    • Lauren~ What a sweet Mother’s prayer. How I KNOW this thought, this desire so well. Praying with you that the Lord would speak to your daughter in a way that she cannot miss His voice, that He would beckon her to Himself, and she would willingly fling herself into His arms, taking on His dreams for herself, living in peace in His will, praying the Lord gives you opportinuties to lead and guide her ever closer to Him~ Oh bless you friend, your words give me such joy.

  64. I know that the Lord has some special way He wants me to serve Him. I feel I am wandering around, impatiently trying to seek where He wants me but not able to listen to His direction and preparation plan. I stumble and backslide.
    Thank you for your words and for your prayer!

    • Celia~ We have these stumbling season’s don’t we, where we can’t hear, we can’t see clearly, praying He quiets the noise, settles the distractions that you might hear His whispers, and follow where He leads, trusting Him to guide and prepare you for whatever He has planned for you. Lean into Him, friend, dig into His scriptures and ask Him to show you what He has for you-

      Jeremiah 29:13-15You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.t I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

      Praying for you, Celia.

  65. Normally I am so content, but with warmer weather some of my retired volunteers at work are going on lots of trips. I sometimes feel jealous that I am close to retirement age and will have to keep on working because my husband and I need the income to keep a roof over our heads. There is so much I want to do as far as being creative but the time goes so fast and I am stuck in the office or in the house cleaning. I think back to earlier years when I was a house wife and had the time to enjoy nature and slowness.

    • Judy~ I am sorry you are struggling with this friend. Praying with you tonight that you would find joy in your work, contenentment in the way you are serving right now. I pray the Lord strengthens you for this season, and encourages you as you do what you must. He is with you, friend, He hears and knows your needs. I pray you find your comfort in Him and find freedom from the spirit of jealousy. Bless you, Judy, surely there is purpose in where you are right now.

  66. Thank you so much for this to help remind me that I just need to
    sit back, relax & be patient as God has a plan & He has special gifts just waiting for me; only I need to put more trust in Him and know that it will come to me in good time…and that is in His time! Lately I have been going through a rough financial burden that I have been praying on every day! I pray for financial comfort to be able to serve & give to those in need as that is what is expected of us as followers of God. I’ve been reading so much lately that says we should give up everything and follow him & if we patiently wait, He will reward us with wonderful blessings – we just need to put our trust in Him! Why does that always seem so difficult when I already have so many blessings that I thank Him for every day: my two wonderful boys, our health, food on the table, clothes on our backs, a job….things that so many others lack. So many times I feel so selfish when I pray for things I need, when I truly have everything I need already; and that is simply God’s love and the wonderful angels (my 2 boys) that He brought into my life! And even though I know how truly blessed I am with all His grace & glory, I still worry about this financial struggle. I pray for God’s forgiveness that I tend to stray from just simply trusting in Him! Help me to understand why life makes that so difficult for us. I know it’s Satan trying to step in and force us to follow evil, but I won’t allow it!! I won’t allow evil to take control of me! So again, I pray for forgiveness and hope He understands that I do know how much He loves us all, and I pray that He saves me from this struggle! In God’s name, AMEN

    • Ronda~ What beautiful gifts you recount here! Your boys, your home, God’s abundant provision all around in your life! What grace! And still the thief comes, always trying to slip in, you are wise to reckognize the temptation for ingratitude, praying with you that the Lord continues to bless and provide, and that you may stand firm in Christ against the schemes of the enemy! Christ is the victor, may you continue to live victoriously in that truth! Bless you, friend!!

  67. Loved the encouragement! We have been waiting years for my husband to be employed in his field of work. A 35 year veteran in his field, jobs are being given to much younger men with no experience, which is truly discouraging. We are working multiple minimum wage jobs to make ends meet, and God has been faithful to provide those for us. It is very disheartening, however, when one has the ability and desire to work and is not able to obtain employment in that area. We continue to trust daily and wait for the opportunity to open up where God wants him to work. I often wonder how long we have to wait and why is it not happening after many years?

    • Oh Dawn. I wish I knew fully, why God allows these challenging seasons. I wish I could give you an answer. I only know in my own life, that the most spiritual growth comes during the really hard times. Those painful times of being stretched and refined, of having to rely so fully on Christ have provided me with a deeper faith and givene me strength I hadn’t had until then… praying with and for you, that your husband may find work in his field, that teh Lord alleviates the stress and in the meantime enables you two to stay close to each other and to Him as you live this journey. He is all we need, sister-friend. Rest fully in that truth that He WILL bring you through this by His strength and for His glory… You are in my prayers.

  68. That waiting is so, so hard, isn’t it, Kris? What a great analogy you’ve shared here. Beautiful verses and beautiful, needed encouragement, thank you.

    (We know the waiting. We’re still waiting for healing for our son. God’s plans are best, I remind myself.)

    • Ahh, yes Caroline, I know how you wait. and I know that Christ is with you in the waiting. How he hears your struggles and comforts you as you watch for His answers. Praying for and with you, friend, that He would heal your little one, according to His perfect will. XO

    • Amy, I read something this morning that was so profound, and I would like to share it, if I may. Remember when Peter got out of the boat and started to sink, and Christ grabbed him and kept him up? Well, not only did Christ keep him from sinking in the storm, but he got Peter back in the boat (and got in with him)! I believe that is what He will do with you: that not only will He calm the storm, but He will give you direction and journey with you to the destination. Praying for you, dear friend!

  69. What a wonderful picture – the piece bag. Thank you for sharing your insight Kris, and your beautiful writing. I have been on both sides of the wait at different times. Right now I am waiting for several things. Some are more deep and personal, but one that is a big one for our family is that’s “public” (iykwim) is that we’re waiting on being able to buy a new car. We have a small one now, but since having our second child we don’t fit very well so we need to trade it in for something bigger. We’re full-time missionaries and raise all of our support, so the saving process can feel tricky at times. (And we don’t want to go into debt for it.) We’ve been saving for a year now and we’re getting there… but still need breakthrough. I’m fully confident that it’s coming, but as you know sometimes the wait between what God’s spoken and what we can see here and now is hard. 🙂

    • Adriel~ Oh the waiting can be so long, and S l o w according to our time-tables. Praying with you that the Lord would continue to provide for you, that he would direct you in the unspoken needs and in the car quest. What a beautiful witness you have, may you continue to glorify Him in all things-and may your patience in the waiting be rewarded in a powerful faith and testimony to God’s goodness! What a blessing it is, to live and serve and be molded in His image during the challenging, waiting seasons! Praying for you, new friend! 😉

  70. Loved the piece on “pieces”! It makes my heart smile to think God has a bag with my name on it! At 53 I’m still saying I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up. I’m waiting patiently for God’s perfect guidance knowing He will show me the way. Blessings to you for filling my heart this morning!

    • Oh He will lead and guide you, Susan! Just keep relying on Him! How wonderful, your words made me smile 😉 praying for you!!

  71. Waiting with grace & compassion as I believe God has healed me from the devastation of a 33 yr marriage to a Christian man that ended to my shock in divorce after unfaithfulness. A man of God’s (pastor) own choosing has entered my world after returning his wife to the Lord last fall following a very lengthy (14 yrs) illness. I am waiting with hope filled anticipation and compassion for God to bring our families into one…and show us, as we believe HE is showing us already, a glimpse of His plans and purposes for our lives together. We are sooooo in love, but His perfect timing and will is our heart’s desire!

    • I just wanted to thank you so much and ask God’s favor for you, as you continue writing, and “doing life” that the little “piece bag” writings and devotions would continue to bless and abound to many, many readers. Thank you for the knowledge and the picture you painted for me of my “piece bag” with MY name on it! Yeah God!

      • Luann~ Oh wow. What a thing to have gone through. I am so sorry for your heartache. Praying with you that the Lord would guide you in this other relationship, that He would pace the steps according to His perfect plans.

        And can I just say, your words, your prayers for me–so kind and generous. I have printed them and tucked them in my journal. You don’t know how that blessed me today. Thank YOU! I am humbled. Bless you, Luann.

  72. Waiting for guidance and wisdom…for open doors and wisdom in decision making. In a very difficult situation and waiting for God to provide a way for our family to move forward in a way that will honor him with our lives.

    • Tricia~ Praying for you, Lord, thank you for this family, thank you for their faith to wait patiently on you. Father God, would you guide them, continue to strengthen them and givethem wisdom to know what you have for them, help them to willingly go where you call, and to trust that you are with them, and have prepared the way already. Thank you Lord, for hearing our prayers and loving us through all things. Amen. Bless you, Tricia, thank you for allowing me to pray with you!

  73. A peaceful mind and healthy body prepared to be pregnant, after a miscarriage 2 1/2 years ago… I haven’t had the courage to try, again. So scared… My heart has longed everyday for another baby.

    • Jen~ Sweet sister. What a terrible loss. I am so sorry you had to experience such a painful thing. My heart aches for what you have endured. Praying the Lord would heal and comfort you, that He would prepare your heart and body for another pregnancy. May He strengthen you and give you hope for a future, for the gifts He has in store for you-may you fully see the gifts you live with right in this moment even, and may you go forth unafraid, andencouraged that God is always good, and be comforted that there is no darkness or fear in Christ. Thank you for sharing this Jen, and allowing me to pray with you. ((Hugs))

  74. My prayer is actually for my husband. He started a business last year and we are just waiting on it to take off. He has severeal “big” things in the works and God has opened many doors, but none of these “big” connections have taken flight yet. We realize God’s timing is perfect, and we are trying to maintain our patience and faith in Christ as we are financially being strained right now.

    Thank you for your prayers!

    • Christy~ God’s timing is perfect! So wonderful, this new horizon ahead of you all, praying that the Lord leads you through and encourages you along the way, put all your trust in Him and enjoy the ride! 😉 Praying for you!

  75. Kris, thank you for your kindness. A relationship is imploding–a relationship with a man, a relationship I never sought (being happily single for many years), a relationship I THOUGHT God was in but clearly, now, I was wrong. And I find as it implodes, it’s harder for me to breathe, harder to get up in the morning, harder to trust. I see no point in my life anymore. I have no job right now–I can see no future. Sounds dramatic, I know, and I apologize–but I just can’t seem to pick myself up one more time…and I don’t really want to. So prayers are most welcome; I can’t even pray for me.

    • LIsa~ Sister. The Lord HEARS your heart, He KNOWS the depths of your aching and can turn even the deepest pits in our lives, into hollows full of grace, full of HIMSELF. Praying that you would cast all your cares on Him, that you would turn your face to His and wrap yourself up in His truths, He is good, you are a treasure, you are loved and valued and worthy because of Him. Father, God, I lift Lisa up to you right now, this moment when all seems lost, Lord, guide her, comfort her, strengthen her–give her the rest she needs in you, bind her wounds and lead her through this difficult time, Jesus. Thank you for loving us so much, for caring for us and tenderly carrying us through the valleys of this life, till we may plant firm feet on the mountain top once again. In Jesus name, amen. Lisa, thank you for sharing your heart, for allowing me to pray with you. You bless me with yur transparency, He is with you friend. Trust that. ((hugs))

  76. Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing such a precious experience. Kids certainly give things new meaning and create fresh spaces in my heart for wisdom and understanding. 🙂

    • Indeed they do. My children constantly reveal His truths to me, and I am so thankful for how God uses their faith to broaden my own. Praying for you today!

  77. that my mother would come to salvation in christ and and through my obedience God will move me into my own home and provide the finances and the wisdom SOON!

    • Victoria~ Praying with you, friend, that the Lord would reveal Himself boldly to your mother, that she may no longer be able to resist His grace. And also for you, that the Lord would stir in your home, lead you in obedience to His will, and provide enough to meet your needs. He is enough. We only need to surrender and allow Him to reign in us. Praying for you, Victoria!!

  78. Thanks so much for your words and encouragement, Kris! I saw the answers to so many prayers I’ve prayed for so long right in front of me, just within reach. And then they were gone. I’m trying to trust God with all the desires of my heart and lay them at His feet, to seek Him first and trust that He holds all those things and to hope in Him and not what He gives with His hand… but I ache so much. Thanks for your prayers.

    • AJ~ Oh my sweet sister. I am sorry for your struggle. Praying that you reach out and hold firmly to His hand and trust that He has a perfect plan and it unfolds in His perfect and appointed time. Praying you would be encouraged in Christ.

  79. Thank you for posting this! It is important to be reminded that we are all waiting on something at some point in our lives. Thank you for sharing and thank you for praying for me and everyone else.

    • Amy ~ Waiting is very much a apart of life, isn’t it? Praying with you that you may find true contentment in yoru waiting, and be fulfilled in His hope and joy in you. Thank you for stoppig here, for taking the time to say hello!

  80. Career. Waiting for that right moment to jump in with both feet and not let fear hold me back from fully trusting in God’s plan.

    • Oh Leah! Praying for you, Lord thank you for Leah, for her brave heart, may she continue to trust in you, to not be held back by fear and uncertainty, but rather leap confidently in your grace, when you show her the time is right! In Jesus name, amen! Praying for you, girlfriend! There is no fear in Christ! 😉

  81. Kris, a friend of mine posted this to her facebook wall and I just happened to “stumble” across it. Talk about God’s timing being perfect! Right now my husband and I have been on an emotional journey for the past 3 years of our lives. We finally thought that THIS week we would finally achieve our long, awaited answer from the Lord…only to hear Him whisper to our hearts, “Wait a little longer.” What an amazingly, encouraging thought to know that He DOES have a plan & a special bag of treasures all for us!

    • Elisabeth~ I am so thankful you found something of value here, humbled by God’s grace! I have been in that place, where God says. “a little longer.” In fact, still there now… praying for 6 years and counting for this *one* very specific desire, and God has gently, but repeatedly said “not right now”… I know where you are, and my heart joins you in prayer and thanksgiving for what God is doing *this minute*. You can trust taht His reason for holding you back is perfect and good. We see what is right in front of us, but He sees around the bend and over the valley, and beyond… trust Him my friend, when the time is right, He will send you. Praying with and for you!! God bless you!!

  82. Thank you for your inspiring words. I’m waiting for a husband. But in the midst of heart ache right now with ending a relationship with a boy of 5 years. Thanks Kris. God Bless you sweet girl.

    • Kelsey~ My prayers are with you. Lean into the the Lord, give Him your heart and trust Him to lead you to someone worthy of having it forever.

  83. Kris, my family is struggling with everything it seems: finances, health issues, jobs, discouragement….thank you for your offer of prayer!

    This post is was a bright spot in my day to remind me that maybe I’m just not ready for my “piece bag” yet. Tonight I can go to sleep with a smile on my face as I try to fathom what could be in mine. 🙂

    • Beth~ what grace to hear you have a smile despite the difficulty you face. That is such a gift from God. Praying for your family, sister.

  84. Waiting to hear God’s voice. Something happened at work that caused me to resign; it was a very difficult decision, but it was the best option I had. I know that God has given me the special talent to do what I do, yet I second-guess myself. Am currently waiting for God to open new doors of opportunity for me and for Him to let me know that I’m on the right path. Thank you for reminding me, Kris, that God will hand down His “piece bag” w/ my name on it in His perfect timing, not mine. I think I got short-changed on the patience gift bag myself!

    • Ahh, Lil. Too well I know the struggle for patience! Praying with and for you, God be in this siutaion and in the solution. Rest in Him, He knows and hears your heart. Praying for you!

  85. Kris~
    I have been struggling with my depression lately & I really feel God pulling me into the book of Isaiah….often. Today is the first time I had read one of your blogs & where do you take me?
    Isaiah.
    God is going to do a great work in me. I just wish I knew where & what it is. Thank you for writing, and thank you for speaking to my heart on His behalf.

    • Stacey~ how I love the book of Isaiah… Praying that you would allow God to work, trusting that whatever He’s doing in you is good and necessary. Endure it my friend. Praise Him in the midst of it, and let God fill you. Praying for you!

  86. I am waiting to see what happens with my marriage. I guess I would like to take a peak in God’s piece bag and see if there is someone there in my future…I long for companionship so much, I wonder if I will be a divorcee, I have been struggling these couple of weeks with being separeted from my husband…Appreciate your prayers!

  87. peace while i wait for a husband. i’m 29. and lonely. and tired of apartment hopping. i need a new one of those, too, since my current roommate is marrying.

  88. This got to my heart. I believe God does have good things for all of us… Just lately its so painful. its easier to doubt him and just say forget him. please pray

    • Jonathan,
      Doubt does sometimes feel easier than faith. I often find comfort in knowing that if I cling to my faith, however small, God always makes Himself known to me in some way. Friend, I am praying for you as you struggle right now. I pray that God would reveal Himself just enough to your heart, that you would know that He holds your life in His hands, and that He LOVES you, relentlessly. Take your burdens to Him, let Him carry them for you.