Beauty From Ashes | Stephanie Hinckley

There was a long season when it felt like every prayer we prayed for our family was met with silence. What began as hope for more children became years of infertility, treatments, failed IVF attempts, and heartbreaking loss. We lost multiple children, including our daughter later in pregnancy, and there were moments when the grief felt unbearable.

That was my “40.”

It was lonely. It felt like everyone around us was receiving the very thing we were pleading for, while we were left asking why. There was fear, anger, confusion, and seasons where I wondered if God was even there. But even in the pain, He kept leaving reminders He had not forgotten us—through people, through quiet moments, through small glimpses of hope that kept me holding on.

The turning point came when we began to sense the path we were pursuing might not be the path God had for us. After failed IVF treatments and after losing our daughter, there was a peace I can only describe as God’s presence in the middle of grief. Around that time, through friends who had walked similar roads, God began opening our hearts to fostering and adoption.

What I thought was the end of a dream was actually the beginning of a different one.

That changed everything.

At my lowest point, when I was questioning God and exhausted by pain, He began teaching me to look back and see how He had been carrying us all along. Slowly my heart shifted from asking why, to trusting that God was writing a bigger story.

And now I can see it.

Our “41” looks like two beautiful children God brought into our family through fostering and adoption. They are not a substitute for what we lost. They are part of the promise God was preparing us for. They are living proof that God brings beauty from ashes.

What once felt like our deepest pain has become part of how God now uses our story to encourage others.

If you are still in your “40,” don’t assume silence means absence. God may be doing His deepest work in the valley. Hold on. Be obedient. Let others walk with you. He is faithful, even when you cannot yet see where He is leading.

From the 41 Series

Elijah prayed for rain after years of drought, and even after God promised it would come, the answer did not appear immediately.

Seven times his servant looked toward the sea.
Seven times there seemed to be nothing.

But eventually, a small cloud appeared on the horizon.

I think seasons of grief and unanswered prayer often feel like that. We keep praying. Keep hoping. Keep asking God to move. And sometimes the silence feels overwhelming.

Loss has a way of testing our faith deeply because it forces us to wrestle with questions we cannot fully answer:
Why would God allow this?
Why does the pain continue?
Why does the waiting feel so long?

And yet throughout Elijah’s story, one truth remains constant:
God was still present even when the drought had not yet ended.

Sometimes God’s work is happening quietly before we can fully recognize it.

Not every prayer is answered in the way we imagined. Not every story unfolds according to our plans. But God is still faithful in the valley.

Over time, Elijah learned that God’s voice and presence mattered more than his ability to understand every circumstance around him.

And often, our “41” begins when we slowly realize that God has been carrying us through the grief the entire time.

Sometimes the very places that once held the deepest sorrow become the places where we later recognize God’s faithfulness most clearly.

God still brings beauty from ashes.

Scripture Encouragement

• 1 Kings 18:41–45

• Isaiah 61:1–3

• Psalm 30:5

Reflect & Respond

What resonated most with you in Steph’s story? Why?

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Have there been seasons where unanswered prayers or loss tested your faith?

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How have you experienced God’s presence during grief or disappointment?

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What areas of your life require continued trust and surrender right now?__________________________________________________________________________

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Prayer

Lord, thank You for remaining faithful even in seasons of grief, waiting, and unanswered questions. When life feels heavy and difficult to understand, help me continue trusting that You are still present and still working.

Give me strength to keep hoping when the answers feel delayed and peace to rest in Your presence even when the future feels uncertain. Remind me that You are able to bring beauty, healing, and purpose even from painful seasons.

Thank You for carrying me through the valley. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Share Hope

Many people silently carry grief, disappointment, or unanswered prayers. As you reflect on Steph’s story, consider sharing it with someone who may need the reminder that God is still faithful in the waiting and still present in the valley.