Faith in the Waiting Room
By Marvin Howard
“Hey Dad, I have a few copies of this book. Do you want to take them to give to people at work?” Harmony held out a small stack of God Still Lives...Even When You Wonder, a collection of miracle stories by Pastor Don MacLafferty.
“Of course! Thanks!” I agreed, as I took the books from my daughter. As a nurse at the local hospital, I often kept a small store of Christian literature in my locker to give to coworkers or patients, and I was happy to have these. But after reading the book myself, I decided to approach this mission a little differently than I normally would. Instead of giving the books out to the first five people that came my way, I prayed that the Holy Spirit would tell me who needed them.
It was challenging. I often questioned what God’s still small voice sounded like and if He might be speaking when I wasn’t listening. But one by one, the books started going out. One patient read the entire copy while sitting in the waiting room and thanked me for giving him hope. Another patient read the book and approached me in tears, asking me to pray for her. I learned that waiting for God to give directions had a very distinct advantage I had never thought of. By waiting for instruction, I could see and observe how He wanted the books to be used. Every book I passed out had a story!
Finally, I had only one book left. I waited and waited, asking God who I should give it to. One day a friend came to see me at work. Her mother was in the hospital and was going to die that night. I went to visit and saw how pale she was. She was very, very sick. As I was talking to my friend, the Holy Spirit whispered to me to give her the last copy of God Still Lives.
“I have a book I think you would like,” I started, “It’s called God Still Lives...Even When You Wonder.”
Her eyes lit up, “Yes! Just by the title I know that this is what I need!”
She took the book back to her mother’s room and started reading it out loud to her. When she wasn’t reading it, it sat on the bedside table. Other relatives came to visit and say their goodbyes. One by one, they started picking up the little book and reading it. Very few of them were Christian or wanted to have anything to do with God. But each one of them saw the little book, picked it up, and read it.
The mother did not die that night. Or the next night. Or the next. Each day she got healthier and healthier. And just when the last relative had finished reading that little book, the doctors discharged the mother and she went home, her health restored.
Today several of those family members have accepted Jesus and are building a relationship with God. And I have gained a clearer understanding of the beautiful things that can happen when someone prays and obeys as God leads.
Marvin Howard is a nurse from Colorado in the United States.
World Church Prayer Requests
February 14 — 20, 2025
- Malawi: Pray for the Luwinga SDA Church as they seek to provide food, soap, and Vaseline to 673 prisoners including 60 incarcerated Seventh-day Adventists. Pray that God will provide the necessary funds to purpose these necessities.
- Papua New Guinea: Pray for the Beto Branch Church, a branch church plant that has been in existence for over thirty years. This year it is scheduled to be organized as an official church. Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this church and its members.
- Uganda: Pray for those working on the major media evangelism outreach this May. Pray that God will provide the resources needed and that the Holy Spirit will touch many hearts for the harvest.
- Mauritius: Pray for the fifty day prayer initiative beginning in March in preparation for the IOUC IMPACT 2025 evangelistic series. Pray that those involved will be cleansed and cloaked in the power of God’s Word that He may work through them to touch many hearts for His glory.
- Mali: Pray for the Western Sahel Mission and the evangelistic series currently underway. Pray that many people will be touched and changed by Jesus.
- Tanzania: Pray for the Uzima Milele Ministry. They design digital content in Swahili to advance God’s work in countries that speak this language. Pray that the government will grant full registration status so that they can run impactful evangelistic programs before the year is over.