It’s a dreary, gray morning here today. After a summer of drought, it’s been awhile since we’ve had many rainy days like this. The house is dim and quiet—a nice setting for peaceful reflection, or better yet, staying tucked in bed with a good book.

But gray days like this can also feel heavy or lonely. If you’re reading this and your heart feels overcast, I’d like to share a simple, encouraging thought: the sun will shine again.

As I watched rain stream down my window like teardrops, I thought how often a day like this has left me down and discouraged. It’s funny how much our moods can change with the weather. Sunlight is so naturally cheerful, isn’t it? And we often take it for granted until a cloudy day comes.

Feelings can be fickle, especially for us women. A bad hair day, an offhand remark, or even precipitation can send our emotions off on a rollercoaster. Faith helps remind us what our feelings often forget: that the sun will shine again. God has not moved and His promises have not changed—even when our hearts are heavy.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.—Hebrews 13:8

Last year, I came across a lesser-known hymn by A.H. Ackley titled The Sun Will Shine Again. Though he is most well-known for the Resurrection hymn He Lives, Ackley wrote hundreds others. On this dreary day, listen to these comforting words:

Whatever life may bring you Is tempered by His love,You are the child of His unfailing care;Then do not be discouraged,But trust this Friend above,And make your wants and wishes Known in prayer

Just as another hymn says, “All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given”—Ackley echoes that truth in saying “Whatever life may bring you is tempered by His love.” These writers knew something of the wisdom and providence of God. All that He does is measured out in mercy and love. And like a friend, we can trust Him.

The refrain continues:

The sun will shine again, The sun will shine again,The cloud that hides it now Is God’s designing;Tho’ day be dark as night, Keep looking for the light,For just behind the cloud The sun is shining.

Even the clouds are His design. Even the burden, even the delay. It is all His design.

It’s been awhile since I’ve flown on an airplane, but I recall no matter how gray and stormy it is on the ground, once the plane breaks through the cloud cover and you’re 35,000 feet in the air—the sunlight is brilliant. The sun hadn’t stopped shining, it was just hidden from earthly view.

I’ve often admired those sorts of people who can always “look on the bright side” and somehow find a silver lining in everything. I’m not naturally good at that, but I’m learning. Because the truth is, the sun is still shining behind those clouds, we need only to look for it. Keep looking for the light.

It sounds cliché to say you can’t have a rainbow without the rain. Even though I know it’s true, oftentimes in the middle of a storm, there can be no hope of a rainbow. Sometimes it feels like the gloomy gray will never end and I confess, sometimes I just want to “waller” in my feelings. But the truth of God’s goodness and love doesn’t depend on my mood.

Ackley ends the hymn with this:

Then smile at all your troubles, Take heart because you knowThat God is on his throne And all is well;Let Jesus give you courage, His confidence bestow,Your ev’ry doubt and fear He will dispel.

Smiling at troubles is a choice. I do not contend that it is an easy one. But prayer helps us make that decision. We can find strength for our weary hearts, and joy and gladness. Like David, we can encourage ourselves in the Lord.

So on this gray morning, I hope I can remind my own heart as much as yours:

It’s all in His control.He knows what He is doing and His way is perfect.God loves you.Ask the Lord to help you look beyond the clouds.And rest on this promise—the sun will shine again.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.—Psalm 30:5

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