Uplifting stories of God’s comfort in a season of waiting
If you’re in a season of waiting, take comfort. As these stories show, God is near. Look for his tender care in unexpected ways.
At Faith Storytellers, we invite newsletter readers to share God Winks stories each month, which we publish here. Join our newsletter to receive each month’s question.
Stories of God’s comfort bring reminders of his love
A friend reminded me recently that our culture doesn’t know how to wait anymore. We don’t need to wait anymore.
I can zip through the self-checkout aisle instead of waiting in the “10 items or less” line. I can log into a zoom call instead of driving to a client’s office. I can even scan a few dozen websites with AI and get my answer in a matter of seconds.
As I edited your “God Winks” stories this month, God surprised me. I had asked readers of this newsletter: How did God answer your prayer in an unexpected, surprising, or funny way?
As I should have expected when I wrote the question, God surprised me with the responses you shared.
These stories share how God works through his people to bring comfort and joy.
And I realized something more: How demonstrations of God’s love can arrive during seasons of stress, heartache, and waiting.
He wants us to know how much he loves us in the “in between.”
If you, like me, find yourself waiting, allow these stories to remind you of God’s love and comfort. Ask God, humbly, to allow you to see how he is comforting you today.
— Mackenzie Walters, editor of Faith Storytellers
P.S. Who needs to read these stories today? Please share this with a note of encouragement!
God’s reminder in the hospital: Joy will come in the morning
“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
— Psalm 30:5 (NLT)
A reader shares a story of how Joy came in the morning.
While pregnant with my second child, at 29 I began leaking amniotic fluid and had to be rushed to the hospital in Providence, an hour’s drive away.
The doctor gave me steroid shots to stress the baby’s lungs and told me the treatment would take 48 hours to make a difference. There was nothing to do but wait.
I was admitted to the high-risk unit. My mother called on the second night. She’d had a dream and asked if I was bleeding. I said no and hung up, but the nurse came in to check me and discovered I was, indeed, bleeding.
I was rushed downstairs, and we waited for the doctor. My husband, a minister, arrived. Seeing I was upset, he reminded me of a scripture a friend had given me a few days earlier: “Weeping lasts for the night but joy comes in the morning.”
The nurses changed shifts, and my new, sweet young nurse introduced herself: “Hello, my name is Joy.”
My miracle baby was born an hour later, and Joy was there for me. Today, that baby is in his 40s, an Iraq war veteran, and father of three. And I’ve never forgotten to look for joy after the darkest of circumstances. God is faithful!
— Cherie Dargan, author of Grandmother’s Treasures, Book Three: The Promise.
God’s comfort after a loved one’s cancer diagnosis eased my heart
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
— 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT)
God’s comfort often comes through his people.
My chest tightened as I tried to understand the news shared over the phone. A loved one’s medical diagnosis brought fears of the unknown.
As a cancer survivor myself, I knew the ups and downs of the journey, and their diagnosis weighed heavy on my heart.
I whispered the name of Jesus. I said his name aloud. My questions poured out: “Why? Why?”
Would the answers be what I wanted? Would the answers come immediately? Only God knew.
Days passed and life continued. Work, trips to the grocery store, routine activities filled my time. I continued to pray and ask how to understand and deal with my sadness.
Then the phone rang. A friend I had not spoken to recently was calling to say hello. I shared the sad news about my family member. My friend listened.
Her sweet voice spoke peace into my worry. Her kindness brought me to tears — tears that I had not let flow until her call.
God heard my cries and answered with a phone call from my friend.
— Melissa Henderson, author of multiple books including “Licky the Lizard”
Read more God Winks stories
How did God answer your prayer in an unexpected, surprising, or funny way? Readers share stories of God’s comfort during a season of waiting.