EP 032: Trusting God's Purpose in the Waiting with Kaci Nicole Harlow

Trusting God's Purpose in the Waiting with Kaci Nicole Harlow

In this episode of Crafting a Beautiful Life, Amy sits down with author and Bible teacher Kaci Nicole Harlow to talk about one of the hardest parts of life: waiting for something you deeply desire while wondering why God hasn't answered yet.

But this conversation isn't simply about getting what you've been praying for. It's about what God may be doing inside of you while you wait.

Whether you're waiting for marriage, a child, healing, financial freedom, clarity about your calling, or an answer to a prayer you've prayed for years, waiting can quietly lead us to difficult questions: Does God see me? Does He care about me? Is He good to everyone else but not to me?

Drawing from her own ten-year waiting story and her book So Much Better, Kaci shares how God used disappointment, rejection, unanswered prayers, and delayed dreams to deepen her faith, reshape her identity, and prepare her for purposes she never could have imagined.

Amy and Kaci explore what it means to surrender without becoming passive, take bold steps without trying to control the outcome, and trust that pruning isn't punishment. They also talk about people-pleasing, finding your calling one obedient step at a time, and why God's timing is often connected to a much bigger story than the one we can currently see.

Because perhaps the waiting isn't empty. Perhaps God is doing some of His most beautiful work in the unfinished parts of your story. And what if the thing you're waiting for isn't evidence that God has forgotten you but an invitation to trust that His plans are still so much better?

In This Episode You'll Learn

• Why waiting is about more than receiving the thing you've been praying for
• How God can use seasons of waiting to deepen your faith and transform your heart
• Why comparison can make us question whether God is truly good to us
• How to trust that God is working even when you can't see movement
• Why your identity cannot be built around marriage, motherhood, career, or achievement
• How to recognize your calling without needing to know the entire five-year plan
• The difference between taking faithful action and trying to control the outcome
• Why there isn't a formula for getting God to answer your prayers
• How rejection can reveal where we've been looking for approval
• Why pruning doesn't mean God is punishing you
• How to take the next obedient step while trusting God with everything that comes after it
• Why God's timing may be connected to a story much bigger than the one you can currently see

3 Key Takeaways

1. The Waiting Is Not Wasted—God Is Working in the Unfinished Parts of Your Story

It's easy to measure God's goodness by whether He gives us the thing we're asking for. But Kaci reminds us that God is doing deeper work in the waiting. Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things for good, and the verse that follows points us toward that ultimate good: becoming more like Christ. The waiting may not be easy, but it can have purpose.

2. God's Plan for Your Life Doesn't Follow Someone Else's Timeline

Comparison can make us believe that God is blessing everyone else while forgetting us. But Kaci's powerful illustration reminds us that we may all be waiting for something different. God is writing individual stories, doing individual work, and preparing each of us in different ways. His plan isn't cookie-cutter and neither is His timing.

3. Pruning Is Not Punishment—Sometimes God Removes Things Because He Has More Fruit Ahead

When something is taken away, a door closes, or life doesn't go as planned, it's natural to wonder, What did I do wrong? But John 15 offers a different perspective. The branches that are bearing fruit are the ones God prunes so they can bear even more. Sometimes God isn't punishing you. He may be preparing you for something greater than you can currently see. 

Scripture Referenced in This Episode

Romans 8:28-29
"God works all things together for the good of those who love Him—and that good includes being conformed to the image of Christ."

Ephesians 2:10
"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

John 15
Jesus teaches that the Father prunes fruitful branches so that they can bear even more fruit. The Story of Ruth and Boaz A beautiful example of faith, boldness, action, and trusting God with the outcome. The Story of Isaac and Rebekah A reminder that sometimes God orchestrates circumstances in ways we could never manufacture ourselves. The Story of Hannah and Samuel. Hannah's years of waiting were part of a much bigger story. The son she longed for would eventually become one of the most significant prophets in Israel's history. The Story of Elizabeth and John the Baptist Elizabeth's delayed motherhood was not evidence that God had forgotten her. Her son would eventually prepare the way for Jesus.

Why This Episode Matters

So many women are carrying prayers they've prayed for years. A husband. A baby. Healing. Financial stability. Clarity about what comes next. A dream that finally feels possible. And when the answer doesn't come on our timeline, waiting can slowly become exhausting. We begin to wonder if we've missed something, done something wrong, or somehow been forgotten.

This conversation offers a different perspective. What if God hasn't forgotten you? What if He is working in ways you simply cannot see yet? What if the closed door, the rejection, the delay, or even the pruning is not evidence that God is withholding His goodness but part of how He is preparing you for the fullness of His purpose? 

Kaci's story is a beautiful reminder that we don't need to understand the entire plan to trust the One writing it. You may not know what God is doing. You may not know when the answer will come. But you can take the next step in obedience and trust that He sees the entire story.

So here's the question: What if the season you're desperate to escape is actually a chapter God is using to prepare you for something so much better?

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