{"id":21562,"date":"2026-03-11T11:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:22:15","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-13T00:27:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T04:27:00","slug":"gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/","title":{"rendered":"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair"},"content":{"rendered":"

I pushed against the back door of our house again, hard. No luck. It wouldn\u2019t budge. The humidity from the flood had swollen the wood. My husband, Vince, had gone in through the front. As I waited, I told myself, Maybe it won\u2019t be that bad<\/em>. It was half hope and half prayer. Something told me, though, it was going to be bad. Real bad.<\/p>\n

Two days earlier, on August 28, we\u2019d evacuated Schoharie, our village of 1,000 in central New York, fleeing Hurricane Irene, which had swept up the East Coast, transforming streams into raging rivers.<\/p>\n

The village was like a war zone. Shops wrecked, houses crumpled, nearly every one owned by someone we knew. Lampposts uprooted. An oil tank lay on its side. Debris everywhere.<\/p>\n

Still I hoped we\u2019d been spared. We didn\u2019t live in the flood plain. The Schoharie Creek, usually a gentle, flowing stream, runs three-quarters of a mile from us. The last flood, in \u201996, left a foot of water in our basement. That we could deal with.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me get that for you,\u201d a voice said. My neighbor. He came up the steps, turned the knob and threw his weight into the door. It opened.<\/p>\n

I stepped through the doorway and froze. This can\u2019t be my kitchen! <\/em>My eyes darted from the floor to the countertops. Everything covered with a rank brown ooze. My legs buckled. I grabbed for the door, steadied myself. Covering my mouth and nose, I walked inside. My sneakers slipped in the muck.<\/p>\n

What happened to the fridge? I spotted it, leaning over, blocking the way into the dining room. Vince peeked over the top of it. He was ashen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost everything on the first floor,\u201d he said. \u201cThe water must\u2019ve been at least five feet deep here.\u201d Vince pushed the refrigerator over with his foot. It landed with a thud.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything?\u201d I said. I stared blankly around the room in\u2026what was it? Shock? Utter disbelief?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s mud everywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cMy organ\u2019s ruined, all my sheet music, your sewing machines, the fabric, your quilting books\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026\u201d It just didn\u2019t seem possible. This house had stood since the 1850s. We had bought it not long after we married and we built our lives here\u2014raised our daughters, Jenny and Stephanie, filled the place with memories.<\/p>\n

I felt sick. Vince is the organist at church, his reed organ in the living room a treasured antique. I loved listening to him play while I quilted. All the things I\u2019d collected over the years\u2014the handcrafted wooden baskets, the beautiful felt angels in the corner cabinet, my autographed children\u2019s books from teaching first grade.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d never be able to replace them. We didn\u2019t have flood insurance. We lived simply on our teachers\u2019 pensions\u2014Vince had taught elementary school band and choir\u2014and Social Security.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we going to do?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll start over,\u201d Vince said. I wondered if he believed it. Did I?<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t how I\u2019d imagined our retirement, with next to nothing to call our own.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou work on emptying the kitchen and I\u2019ll start in the living room,\u201d Vincesaid. \u201cI don\u2019t want you coming out here. It\u2019s too dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

By late afternoon the back deck was piled with plates and glasses, crockery, my mixer and waffle iron (the wiring ruined by the water), baking tins, table and chairs, garbage bags stuffed with food from the fridge. It was nearly dark when we finished, right before the 8:00 P.M. public safety curfew.<\/p>\n

It had taken hours just to scrape up the muck. We\u2019d barely made a dent. Lord<\/em>, I wondered, how can we ever start over? We\u2019ve lost so much!<\/em><\/p>\n

We were staying at Stephanie\u2019s an hour away. Driving out of town I gazed into the darkness, not a light anywhere.<\/p>\n

The next day we returned. At the threshold I willed myself inside. I stared at the living room walls, covered with black dots. Mold. It seemed to grow before my eyes. Vince just shook his head, his face cloaked in sadness.<\/p>\n

I busied myself in the sewing room, carrying load after load of soggy fabric to the curb. I had just picked up an armful of sodden pattern books when a woman walked up. She lived in a neighboring town and I hadn\u2019t seen her in years. \u201cSue, you were the first person I thought of,\u201d she said. \u201cTell me what I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment I was speechless. \u201cThank you,\u201d I said. I gave her a careful hug. I didn\u2019t want to transfer any gunk. \u201cEverything has to go. We\u2019re piling it outside.\u201d Once we emptied the house, maybe I\u2019d be able to make sense of it all. Things had to get better. Didn\u2019t they?<\/p>\n

We were carrying out one of my sewing machines when a man showed up I\u2019d never seen before, followed by a young couple. How had they come upon us? About noon there was a knock on the door\u2014two women, also strangers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have sandwiches, and a case of water,\u201d one said. \u201cAlso, I wanted to let you know they\u2019re setting up a free caf\u00e9 behind the DAR hall.\u201d Their help was a godsend, but as the afternoon wore on it dawned on me: They wouldn\u2019t be here if it wasn\u2019t really bad. Would our town survive?<\/p>\n

Day after day Vince and I worked on our house with help from friends and family. But each day our hopes dwindled more. The mold meant gutting the house, not work we could do ourselves. But hiring someone to rehab the house would cost upwards of one hundred thousand dollars. We\u2019d lost all our equity. No way to take out a loan.<\/p>\n

For lunch we went to the community caf\u00e9, the tables filled with a bounty of home-cooked meals and dishes donated from area restaurants and supermarkets. Everyone was in the same boat.<\/p>\n

There were times Vince and I barely spoke on the hour-long drive to Stephanie\u2019s. We were too exhausted and demoralized. Even going to church didn\u2019t offer the comfort I\u2019d always found there. The sanctuary had flooded, the wood flooring destroyed, mold spreading across the walls. The organ was damaged too, but Vince got it to play.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod is at work even now,\u201d our pastor assured the congregation. I wanted to believe that! But what exactly was God doing?<\/p>\n

One night the whole family, Jenny and Stephanie, their husbands, A.J. and Aaron, gathered in Stephanie\u2019s living room. Aaron spoke first: \u201cI don\u2019t see any option but to sell the house for what you can and get a new place.\u201d<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t believe my ears. The house was the one thing we hadn\u2019t lost! Where would we move? And what bank would give a mortgage to a retired couple on a fixed income with few assets?<\/p>\n

Everyone nodded in agreement\u2014except Vince. He looked stunned. For a moment the room was silent. \u201cYou\u2019ve given us a lot to think about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That night worry and doubt pervaded my dreams. I awoke, my hands clenching the covers. Dear God, please help me to let go, to trust in you. To believe in a future.<\/em><\/p>\n

A few days later a former colleague of Vince\u2019s came by the house. \u201cI posted a note about what you\u2019re going through on Facebook,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve heard from so many former students. They wanted me to give you this donation.\u201d Inside the envelope was a check for one thousand dollars. We soon received an additional four thousand dollars.<\/p>\n

Then, two weeks after the flood more than 20 people from Jenny\u2019s church two hours south of us arrived to help gut the house, pulling out everything except for the floor and the framing.<\/p>\n

Vince and I spent the day cleaning out the garage and his workshop, glad to leave the work to people younger and stronger. Truthfully, I couldn\u2019t bear the thought of seeing our home stripped to its bones.<\/p>\n

Late that afternoon Jenny came out to the garage. \u201cWe\u2019re done,\u201d she said. \u201cTake a look.\u201d I followed her and Vince back inside, the moment I\u2019d dreaded. I walked into the kitchen. The walls, the cabinets, the built-in shelves, my sewing room, were gone. Just a big, empty space. I could see clear to the front walls.<\/p>\n

I felt more relief than sorrow. This house no longer felt like our home. It was time to let go. \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d Jenny asked.<\/p>\n

I paused for a moment. I\u2019d lost so much in the flood, but what mattered most\u2014the love of my family, the support of friends old and new, the spirit of community\u2014was stronger, more alive than ever. I felt a stirring in my heart, my sense of hope rekindled. That\u2019s what I needed to hold on to.<\/p>\n

In the distance I could hear the rumble of power tools. It sounded almost like a heartbeat, the village slowly, haltingly returning to life. \u201cYou\u2014everyone\u2014have been such a blessing,\u201d I said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s next. But we\u2019re going to be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

In January we bought a house outside Schoharie, on higher ground. It\u2019s smaller than our old place, perfect for a retired couple. The village remains a work in progress, a patchwork of houses for sale and people rehabbing their homes. It\u2019s a slow, sometimes painful, process. But there\u2019s a spirit that grows stronger.<\/p>\n

For months the community caf\u00e9 has served lunch daily, fueled by a supply of food that never dwindled, brought by people who felt called to help. Volunteers still come. Some weekends they\u2019ve nearly doubled the population of Schoharie. God at work even in the midst of chaos and despair. Especially then. And thanks to that I know we\u2019ll be okay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I pushed against the back door of our house again, hard. No luck. It wouldn\u2019t budge. The humidity from the flood had swollen the wood. My husband, Vince, had gone in through the front. As I waited, I told myself, Maybe it won\u2019t be that bad. It was half hope and half prayer. Something told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[377],"tags":[189,203,44,53,51,72,80],"ppma_author":[1084],"class_list":["post-21562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-emotional-and-mental-health","tag-church","tag-community","tag-courage","tag-dream","tag-inspirational-stories","tag-stories-of-faith","tag-stories-of-hope"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGod’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I pushed against the back door of our house again, hard. No luck. It wouldn\u2019t budge. The humidity from the flood had swollen the wood. My husband, Vince, had gone in through the front. As I waited, I told myself, Maybe it won\u2019t be that bad. It was half hope and half prayer. Something told […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Guideposts Articles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T11:22:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-13T04:27:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"438\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"315\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sue Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Neeraj Rai\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be\"},\"headline\":\"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T11:22:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-13T04:27:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1684,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Church\",\"Community\",\"Courage\",\"Dream\",\"Inspirational Stories\",\"Stories of Faith\",\"Stories of Hope\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Emotional and Mental Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/\",\"name\":\"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair - Guideposts Articles\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T11:22:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-13T04:27:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg\",\"width\":438,\"height\":315},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Positive Living\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Health and Wellness\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Better Living\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Emotional and Mental Health\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":6,\"name\":\"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"description\":\"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"caption\":\"Guideposts Articles\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be\",\"name\":\"Neeraj Rai\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g0c0183ebd910e29ad96a4a5994cce5d4\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Neeraj Rai\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/author\\\/neeraj\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair - Guideposts Articles","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair","og_description":"I pushed against the back door of our house again, hard. No luck. It wouldn\u2019t budge. The humidity from the flood had swollen the wood. My husband, Vince, had gone in through the front. As I waited, I told myself, Maybe it won\u2019t be that bad. It was half hope and half prayer. Something told […]","og_url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/","og_site_name":"Guideposts Articles","article_published_time":"2026-03-11T11:22:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-13T04:27:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":438,"height":315,"url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sue Smith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/"},"author":{"name":"Neeraj Rai","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be"},"headline":"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair","datePublished":"2026-03-11T11:22:15+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-13T04:27:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/"},"wordCount":1684,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg","keywords":["Church","Community","Courage","Dream","Inspirational Stories","Stories of Faith","Stories of Hope"],"articleSection":["Emotional and Mental Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/","url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/","name":"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair - Guideposts Articles","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-11T11:22:15+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-13T04:27:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/gp0412_smit_01_marquee-1.jpg","width":438,"height":315},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/gods-comfort-in-the-midst-of-despair\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Positive Living","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Health and Wellness","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Better Living","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Emotional and Mental Health","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":6,"name":"God’s Comfort in the Midst of Despair"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","name":"Guideposts Articles","description":"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization","name":"Guideposts Articles","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","caption":"Guideposts Articles"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be","name":"Neeraj Rai","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g0c0183ebd910e29ad96a4a5994cce5d4","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","caption":"Neeraj Rai"},"url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/author\/neeraj\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":1084,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"sue-smith","display_name":"Sue Smith","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21562"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42030,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21562\/revisions\/42030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21562"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=21562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}