Stay With Me

In August 2025, I had a moment with God that I haven’t been able to forget.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic. It was quiet… but deeply personal.

In this vision, everything around me was dark.

Not in a fearful way—just empty. Still. Silent.

And then there was Him.

Light.

Not a harsh or blinding light, but a warm, steady presence that felt both powerful and incredibly gentle at the same time.

I felt His hands come to my face.

He lifted my face upward, almost like a father would when his child is hurting—like He didn’t want me looking anywhere else.

Not down in discouragement.Not around in comparison.

Just… toward Him.

And in that moment, without words but somehow clearer than words, I felt it:

Stay with Me.

There are certain prayers that feel tender to say out loud.

Not because they are wrong. But because they are still unanswered.

Prayers about the future. About love. About family. About the life we once imagined but are still waiting to see unfold.

For me, those prayers often sound like this:

God, will I be married again someday? Will I hold children in my arms? Will I grow old with someone who loves You and we love each other well?

These are the quiet questions of my heart.

And lately, when those questions rise up, I sense the same gentle response:

Stay with Me.

Not “solve the timeline.”Not “force the outcome.”Not “figure out why it hasn’t happened yet.”

Just stay.

The Longing That Has Always Lived in Me

There is a little girl inside of me who used to spend hours playing house.

I can still see her clearly—sitting in the driveway of her childhood home pretending to “drive” to pick up her kids, making imaginary dinners, baking, laughing, creating a whole life in her imagination.

Those dreams were simple.

But they were real.

Marriage. Children. A home filled with warmth and laughter.

Dreams and desires yet to be unfolded.

And sometimes a quiet voice tries to creep in and whisper:

Maybe that life isn’t meant for you.Maybe it can’t happen to you.

But I hold fast to this longing.I speak life over those thoughts.

Because scripture reminds me that God is not distant from my desires—He is the One who placed them within me.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” — Psalm 37:4

“No good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” — Psalm 84:11

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” — James 1:17

If God is a good Father, then the desires I carry must be held inside that goodness too.

When Comparison Tries to Steal Hope

Waiting has a way of magnifying everything around us.

I see friends getting engaged. Starting families. Celebrating milestones.

And sometimes I catch myself looking left and right—measuring my life against theirs.

Wondering if I somehow missed something.

If I’m behind.

But then I remember that moment again—His hands gently lifting my face.

Not looking to the left of comparison. Not looking to the right of expectation.

Just forward.

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” — Hebrews 12:2

The Timing

One of the hardest parts of faith is trusting God with timing.

Waiting for something good can feel exhausting.

But God’s timeline is never careless.

“Though the vision tarries, wait for it; it will surely come.” — Habakkuk 2:3

“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” — Isaiah 40:31

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” — Ecclesiastes 3:11

Not my time.

His time.

And His plans are not small or forgetful:

“For I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

God Still Writes Beautiful Stories

The Bible is full of people who held desires that seemed impossible.

Sarah. Ruth. Hannah.

Women who waited. Women who wondered. Women who hoped.

And God met them in their stories.

“God sets the lonely in families.” — Psalm 68:6

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” — Ephesians 3:20

More than I ask. More than I imagine.

Even more than the fears that sometimes tell me otherwise.

The Prayer I Am Learning to Pray

So lately, my prayer has become simpler.

God, help me stay with You.

When sadness comes, help me stay with You.

When I feel alone, help me stay with You.

When comparison pulls at me, help me stay with You.

When I grow tired of waiting for things yet unseen, help me stay with You.

When the dreams of that little girl feel far away—remind me that You still see them.

Because more than anything else—more than timelines, more than outcomes, more than the life I long for but cannot yet see—

I want to keep my eyes forward.

On the One who is soft, kind, protective, all-knowing, loving, and generous.

The One who lifts my face.

The One whose arms I can lean into.

The One who catches me every time.

And when my heart begins to wander again, I pray I hear His voice gently whisper:

Stay with Me.

Because the greatest promise isn’t just the future I hope for—

It’s that He is already here with me in the waiting and watching.

And somehow, that makes even this season…

holy.