The Dawn Will Break

In a Charlie Brown comic strip, Snoopy is typing a novel. He begins his story, “It was a dark and stormy night …” Lucy looks over at what Snoopy wrote and then goes into a tirade. She tells Snoopy that it is a silly way to begin a book because every good book begins with “Once upon a time…” In the last frame of the comic strip, Snoopy starts his story again. He types, “Once upon a time, it was a dark and stormy night.” 

The truth is sometimes our stories begin with a dark and stormy night. And sometimes the storms come in the middle of our stories. When we are in the heart of these storms, it is hard to see past them – and it is easy to feel stuck there. 

But where our stories begin is not indicative of where they will end. 

If you feel as though you are in the midst of the storm today, know that you are not alone. Storms are a part of life. My prayer for you is that even in the darkest hours you would keep the faith, hold on to hope, and remember that the dawn will break and the sun will rise again.

Our prayer today was written by my friend Roger Kunkel. Let us pray: God of all beginnings and God of all middles and endings as well, we acknowledge our dependence on you. Only by your grace can we begin again. Lord, we thank You that You are there in the valleys of our lives when we fail when we feel defeated, lost, or alone. Thank you for keeping us from the dead-end streets of life, and for showing us the path to your highway of hope. Be with us as we seek to be yours and to follow your way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.