One of the hardest things in life is to understand and control our moods. When we’re feeling good everything around us looks good and is good. But when we get into a dark mood that same world becomes miserable and threatening. It takes effort to deal with this tendency. I think William James got it right when he said: ‘The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.’ The trick is in having a ready resource always available to help us drag ourselves out of the negative into the positive; and that resource is prayer. Robert Cook said: ‘When I wait quietly before the Lord in prayer, it gives God the chance to change my mood and take all the steam out of my pressure cooker.’ God may not change my situation; but He does change me and my ability to respond with faith, courage and maturity.