Today I’m making an exception to the books I usually review. When a friend publishes a book, I always jump at the chance to help promote it. But when a friend publishes a book so poignant as this one, I have to share that book with everyone.

Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace may look like a typical 31-day Christian devotional, but it goes deeper, touches on pain, struggle, and trials many other devotionals merely gloss over. A big reason for this is because of the author’s own story.

I met Xochitl Dixon at a writer’s conference a decade ago. Thanks to social media, we’ve been able to stay in touch over the years. She is one of the most Godly women I know. Why do I say that? She lives her faith while in a daily battle with chronic pain and fatigue. She knows trial and this devotional is an outpouring of what she and others in similar situations have learned.

Each devotional begins with a Bible reading before launching into a story from Xochitl’s life or one from a friend she has met along her journey. Each story touches the heart in its realness. Xochitl doesn’t minimize pain, instead, she shows how God redeems it. Then she ties the story to to the reading, provides a verse and a prayer. Finally, she leads readers in a series of questions aimed to help us apply the devotional to our own lives.

I highly recommend Waiting for God. Reading a devotional written by someone who has experienced suffering adds a depth I rarely find in other devotionals. And I know from personal experience that Xochitl lives what she writes.

If you enjoy the devotional, I encourage you to follow Xochitl on Facebook at Xochitl E. Dixon or join her dog Callie’s page as the service-dog-in-training learns her new job. You’ll find lots of encouragement for whatever challenges come your way.

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I received this book free from Discovery House publisher in order to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”