In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you. . . . Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

My dear friend Sonya gave me the idea: early-morning prayer. Her four children were older than mine, yet somehow she had already learned how to beat the rush and scoop out a quiet time before the children awoke.

At my house, where the children were two, four, five and eight when I became a single mom, stress began at daybreak—spilled cereal, pawing through the laundry basket for matching socks, rushing to school, squabbling—and became worse as the day roared on. After supper, homework, baths and bedtime stories, I felt too frazzled for prayer and often fell asleep with my shoes on.

Sonya, on the other hand, rarely seemed stressed. Her tremendous faith, optimism and energy drew me to ask her about her prayer practice. She eagerly shared her daybreak routine and even gave me a devotional booklet to weave into my frayed prayer life.

Though Sonya began her day at 4:00 am, I lingered in bed until 5:00 am. Slowly, my quick talks with God evolved into more intimate conversations. I recognized God’s calming presence in my daily routine and could relax just a bit more.

That was twenty-five years ago. These days, my mornings are cathedral-quiet, and though I could enjoy prayer time anytime I choose, I continue to cherish my morning prayer. I brew my coffee, sit in Mom’s old rocker, thank God for so many blessings and let Him know what my friends and I need. I pray. I listen. I read the Bible. And I watch the sun rise, knowing that no matter what happens during the rest of the day, God and I are together.

Heavenly Father, as the hymn says, “morning by morning, new mercies I see.” I am grateful.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4

“It’s a new year! What are you planning to do this year? Start a diet, exercise more, read the Bible more, organize your closets?” We usually ask each other the same questions every year. But those endless projects usually share one common factor: “doing.” And there’s nothing wrong with that. But as I took a closer look at the life of Jesus, I discovered He seems more interested in who I am, rather than what I do. In other words, Jesus cares more about my character than He does my activity. Yes, He gave active instructions to the disciples: “Go…teach…baptize… make disciples….” And we are to follow those same teachings. But how many of Jesus’s parables involved showing mercy, forgiveness, grace, and love—all the qualities of Jesus’s own life?

Paul echoed this principle in Colossians 3:12 (NKJV): “put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering.” Even James, the half brother of Jesus, emphasized character development. In fact, he offered the right balance between both “being” and “doing”: “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18, NIV). Both are important, but one is impossible without the other. The disciples asked Jesus, “‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (John 6:29, niv).

In other words, abide. It’s all about relationship. Stay connected to Jesus so the actions will flow naturally from the character of Jesus growing within. I shortened my New Year’s list this year: “Stay close to Jesus. Abide in Him.” Because when the character grows, the right actions will follow.

Faith step: What character qualities would you like Jesus to develop in you this year?

“One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!” John 9:25 (HCSB)

As my husband and I started out on our two-day drive to visit Redwood National Park in California, I pulled out my e-book reader. Buying this was a smart move, I told myself. I turned the reader on and went straight to the current page in the novel I’d checked out from the library. The page looked so dim that I couldn’t read the words. I checked the brightness level but it was already at 100%. Going to “Settings”, I searched for something else to adjust.

“I have no idea what’s wrong with this, but I won’t be able to use it,” I complained to my husband. Then I took off my sunglasses and glanced down. The screen was perfectly bright and readable.

Jesus gave sight to many blind people during His ministry on earth. Some had been born blind; others had lost their sight. On more than one occasion He called the Pharisees and religious leaders “blind” because they refused to see spiritual truth. They were more concerned about their lists of rules and manmade traditions, and their positions of power. They couldn’t see their Messiah when He stood right in front of them.

On the day of His resurrection, Jesus walked beside two of His followers who were confused by His death—and even more perplexed by reports of the empty tomb. Jesus discussed Old Testament prophecies until their spiritual eyes were opened and they understood that these events had been part of God’s plan. Jesus still wants to open people’s eyes to spiritual truth today.

When I pray about a Bible passage that I don’t understand, He often gives me understanding. He gives me clearer vision to see the people around me and their needs. Sometimes He helps me see circumstances in my life from His perspective. Once I take off the dark glasses of my human thinking, everything seems brighter and clearer.

Faith step: In what ways do you need Jesus to open your spiritual eyes today? Tell Him you want to see more clearly.

For He shall give Hs angels charge over thee…—Psalm 91:11

I was talking to my poet friend Paula about my apartment, which has been home for some 23 years. They have been, on the whole, good years in a place where I’ve always felt a sense of security.

“You probably have a good angel looking after you,” said she.

“Angels,” I scoffed. “Don’t talk to me about angels.”

“You don’t believe in them?”

“It’s just that everybody is seeing them these days. It’s like an epidemic. Okay, I know what the Bible says—they’re real—but never having seen one myself, it’s hard for me to believe in them.”

“Oh,” she said, “is it like your faith? You need evidence of something ‘seen’?”

“Don’t be smart,” I said.

Not too long after that conversation, I had an appointment and crossed the street to my bus stop. As I stood there waiting, my eyes roamed over the facade of my apartment building. It’s a large, prewar structure with some fanciful towers and a generous amount of ornate decoration. I found the windows of my second-floor apartment and the air conditioner for my bedroom and …

For the first time in 23 years, I noticed a head peering over the air conditioner, its wings spread neatly behind it, a figure carved in stone—an angel.

Father, you are full of surprises, but I’m going to read your Word more carefully to minimize them.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT)

Our dog, Flash, is a cross between a Jack Russell terrier and a Chihuahua. He is cute and fast and loves to play. He loves it when you throw him the ball. He just has one problem. Once he brings the ball back to you, he won’t let it go. You can tell he wants to give it to you as he nudges it toward you. But as soon as you try and pick it up, he snatches it and growls. Then he looks at you, as if to say, “Why aren’t you playing with me?”

The dog has issues. So do I. That is probably why I like him so much. I am just like Flash, who worries over his toy, constantly moving it around, never taking his eyes off it. This is what I do with my problems. I cannot let them go. I keep thinking about them, feeling sick to my stomach. All the while, my eyes are on Jesus and I am saying, “Why aren’t You doing anything about this? I keep bringing it to You.” I bring my problem to Him. But I forget to let it go. I forget to say, “I would like You to take care of this, so I am placing it in Your hands.”

When we pray, we are “tossing the ball.” Laying our worries, our cares, our dreams at the feet of Jesus. But it is only when we have emptied our hearts and minds of our worries that He can fill us up with His overwhelming peace that passes all understanding.

Faith Step: Picture yourself throwing your “ball” of worries into the sky. Release them to Jesus’s care and ask Him to fill you with His overwhelming peace.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:15–16 (NIV)

When my spirits are low, spending time praising Jesus is a sure way to allow His peace and joy to fill me again. It can feel like a sacrifice—an effort that costs something—to form words that focus on His greatness when I’d rather remind Him of everything wrong. I’m grateful that He invites us to be real with Him, to pour out our hurts and concerns. However I also know that it’s important to spend time professing His name, and acknowledging the truth.

The other day I was stuck in bed dealing with a lot of pain and weakness. I tried to offer praise, but couldn’t keep focused long enough to string thoughts together. “Lord, thank You for creating the world and . . .” My mind wandered away from any specifics. “Jesus, You are so loving and . . . ” I’d shift my position and lose the last part of the sentence. I wanted so much to praise Him with my whole heart and soul and mind, but floundered.

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Then I remembered the alphabet game. On long car trips, we’d look around for objects starting with the letter A, then when we’d run out of ideas, we’d move on to B. I wondered if I could use that same tool to help me praise.

“Lord, I’m so grateful for the flavor of apples. Thank You for creating them. For my friend Amy. For the authority You have over this world. For authors whose books have nourished me. You designed butterflies and beaches and You are bountiful and full of blessings.” As I worked my way through the alphabet, my heart grew more peaceful and I drifted off to sleep.

FAITH STEP: Praise Jesus for His qualities and His gifts, using the alphabet tool