Melissa Lu
About the Author

I am a wife, mom of two pre-schoolers, college faculty member and closet-writer of musicals, children's stories, and poetry. I love to dance, create things, and nurture babies, plants, talent in others, and, well, pretty much everything! I grew up on a farm in small town south Georgia where I...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Great post. Interesting how we ask God for things we don’t believe He will give (I’ve done it, too). And, even if we could imagine a response, it’s only what we could dream from OUR box of possibilities. You said it right…He IS the best! He is also the God of surprises! So thankful that He cares for each of us, and gives us EXACTLY what we need, even when we don’t know exactly what that is!

    • Thanks for reading, Marty! It’s funny — I wrote this over the summer and needed to read it today as much as anyone. Praying for that “surprise” in your life, however you might need it!

  2. Yes, he is the best Melissa! He’s such a great Father to provide for us, even if we don’t know what we need. Our Father truly is the best and knows the best for us!

    • Thank you for reading Chavos. This is such a great, encouraging community! How often I don’t know what I need but think I do! Blessings to you today!

  3. I am still waiting to hear from God in such a manner. I know he watches over me and takes care of me.

    • Oh Rachel, it is hard sometimes, isn’t it? I need to tell you that I often don’t see the answer until I have the benefit of hindsight . . . lots and lots of hindsight. As I mentioned to Marty above, I needed to reread my own blog post today because I have a prayer that I have prayed for years that seems to be unanswered. I will pray for you, my friend. Really.

    • Rachael,

      Prayers that God will answer your prayers soon! Know that He has plans for you plans to prosper you and not harm you plans to give you a hope and a future! Keep on praying my dear sister in Christ!

      He will answer in His perfect timing!

  4. I love this so much. It breaks my heart in the most beautiful way imaginable. How can we ever really know what we need? He is so faithful, so loving, so generous. (As I sit and look at my 13 year old German shepherd/Husky mix who was an answered prayer for my daughter at age 5…she just went away to college. We knew it was providential…that puppy’s name was “Cookie” which was the only word my newly diagnosed autistic son could say. Oh, yes, God provides answers!!) Thank you for this sweet, sweet post.

    • Cynthia, than you for sharing about your Cookie! Even today I was “mad” at God for not giving me what “I need” — silly me! Your comments are so encouraging. Thank you for that!

  5. This post really touched my heart today. I have two “mutts” myself. My two daughters brought home two kittens that I ended up with, also. I really am not a “cat person”. However, the one that was a runt ended up finding a place in my heart. I named her Hobbey after “Calvin and Hobbes” because she liked to jump out and “attack” you. I think she thought she was a dog because she would beg for food from me just like the dogs. She especially loved muffins. She died yesterday after the vet gave her flea medication. I’ve never had a problem dealing with the fleas before, but this year they seemed very aggressive. She became anemic because she wouldn’t let me treat her. She was feisty and would bite and scratch if I tried to do things like that. I don’t know why the vet went ahead and gave her that medicine knowing how weak she was. Then I sobbed like a baby because I had to watch her die from poisoning. On top of that, my Dad just died a month ago from an abdominal aneurysm, and I was with him just a few minutes before it happened. I am going through a many trials right now, and what happened to my Dad and Hobbey all within a month has thrown me into an emotional turmoil. I know they are with God now, but I don’t understand what God’s purpose in all of this is. I am glad that you found your “wake up call”. I pray that God will do the same for me and show me His will in all of this.

    • Oh Carletta, how my heart breaks for yours. You have experienced a lot of loss, and that is hard. My mom recently found out she has cancer, and I was praying about it and loss in general the other day. As I prayed, I felt as if God said to me that his greatest desire is to bring his children home to him — how he rejoices when they do come home! At the same time, I felt as if I heard him say that He understands and listens to our human hearts and prayers because he has literally walked in our shoes. So — I take that to mean that His heart breaks with yours too. I will pray that you can trust Him through this and that He sends evidence of his love to you.

    • Carletta,

      Prayers for healing! May you feel God’s loving touch on you and your family now! My heart is crying to God to come give you a hug and shower you with some grace, mercy and love!

      Prayers that you can trust God through all this pain and loss!

      (((((Hugs)))))

  6. What a blessing your story is. God is good in the good times and bad. He knows what we need and when we need it.

  7. Loved the story! Pets are wonderful teachers and healers. If I have a bad day then when I get home I grab my “tiny” hold and pet him. It seems to soothe me and calm me down quickly!

    It is amazing sometimes how and when God answers our prayers. I think He wants us to have faith in Him that He will do as He says–even if it takes time or the solution sounds crazy like Jerico walls falling outward, but only after doing something that seemed crazy to most people!

    God wants us to trust and obey Him!

  8. Thanks for this! It reminded me of a similar story that God gave me a couple months ago. I’ve been struggling through a rough season in my life for a little while, and really wrestling to trust God. I had just moved into a new apartment (on my own for the first time) and had curtains, but no way to hang them on any of the windows. Desperate for a cheap, easy solution I tried PVC pipe, Command Strips and pretty much everything else… with no success. I felt God speak to my frustration: “Can you trust with me the curtain rods?” It seemed like the most ridiculous thing to me. Why on earth would the God of the universe trouble Himself about my curtain rods? But I grudgingly gave up fighting for the day and spent the night with my parents. When I came back, I was shocked and indignant to find a huge wet spot in the middle of my living room floor. Searching desperately for the leak, I opened a cabinet that I hadn’t put anything in, and haven’t opened since that day. Inside were two unopened packages of curtain rods. I was astounded at the grace of God in that moment to provide for a need I just assumed was too small for Him, and still am: to this day I have not found the source of the mystery leak, nor has it ever happened again. But I never would have opened that cabinet without it. It was just the miracle I needed to continue learning how to trust God. Sorry for the long comment, I just really felt like Jesus wanted me to share that story tonight!

    • Hi Hannah! How great that you would share this tonight! I just prayed upstairs at my house for some encouragement, and here this was. So – the Lord continues to work in mysterious ways. 🙂 I”ve been praying about quitting my job for 6 months and felt like He was calling me to do it . . . this week I finally received the courage to do it. But oh – it is scary. So how nice to know that through my pup, your curtain rods, and this little exchange he is reminding us that he hears all our concerns, small and big. You are so awesome for posting this tonight! Thank you!