“Do you ask for help from Jesus Christ or are you struggling alone? Have you told Christ of your weakness? You don’t humble yourself, you don’t ask Christ for help and then you say, ‘I have difficulties in my struggle’. When one is humble and asks for help from Christ, He helps. Often man makes an egotistical effort and this is why he gets no help.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“Always call upon your Heavenly Father, He’s beside you, never leaves you, He is closer to you than yourself.”
Saint Joseph the Hesychast
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“The more you Pray to God in times of sorrow, the sooner you will feel His sweet consolation.”
Saint Anthony of Optina
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“Do not say ‘I can’t.’ This is not Christian. A Christian would say: ‘I can, but not by myself, only through Christ Who strengthens me!'”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“O Lord, my hope in despair. O Lord, my strength in weakness. O Lord, my light in darkness. Place just one finger on my forehead and I shall be raised.”
Saint Nikolai Velimirovich
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“Wherever I am, as soon as I raise the eyes of my heart in my affliction to God, the Lover of men immediately answers my faith and Prayer, and the sorrow immediately departs. He is at every time and every hour near me, only I do not see it, but I feel it vividly in my heart.”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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“When we are in trouble or despair or have lost hope, we should do what David did: pour out our hearts to God and tell him of our needs and troubles, just as they are. It is because He can deal with us wisely that we confess to God: He can make our troubles easy to bear. If this is our benefit, and can save us from dejection which destroys and corrupts.”
Saint Hesychius of Jerusalem
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“Just Pray: ‘Lord, grant me Thy Grace!’ For when there is a cloud of griefs over you and you Pray: ‘Lord, grant me Thy Grace’ the Lord will carry you past the storm.”
Saint Nectarius of Optina
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“When we patiently endure our problems and turn to God for help, we notice that He gives us the best possible solution.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“When sorrows shake our Souls, our hearts tremble and our thoughts are confused, our only refuge is the Lord.”
Saint Nikon of Optina
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“By His suffering our Lord eased our suffering. He endured the greatest of pain and emerged as the Victor. That is why He can encourage us in our lesser sufferings.”
Saint Nikolai Velimirovich
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“The Lord sees your need and your efforts, and will give you a helping hand. He will support and establish you as a soldier, fully armed and ready to go into battle. No support can be better than His. The greatest danger lies in the Soul thinking that it can find this help within itself; then it will lose everything. Evil will dominate it again, eclipsing the light that as yet flickers but weakly in the Soul, and it will extinguish the small flame which is still scarcely burning. The Soul should realise how powerless it is alone; therefore, expecting nothing of itself, let it fall down in humility before God, and in its own heart recognise itself to be nothing. Then Grace – which is all powerful – will, out of this nothing, create in it everything. He who in total humility puts himself in the hand of the Merciful God, attracts the Lord to Himself, and becomes strong in His Strength.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Press forward you who are doubtful, you who are despondent, you distressed, you in ignorance, you of little faith, and you who are suffering trials of various kinds; forward to consolation and to the solution to your problems. Our Sweet Jesus Christ, Our Life, has proclaimed to us that “Without Me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5) Thus behold that, calling upon Him continuously, we are never alone; and consequently “We can and will do all things through Him.” (cf Phil. 4:13) Behold the correct meaning and application of the significant saying of the Scripture, “Call upon Me in your day of trouble and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Ps. 49(50):15).”
Elder Joseph of Vatopedi
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“Inner peace does not come by trying to escape from life’s difficulties, but by facing them with faith and humility. When you are at peace with God, you are at peace with the whole world.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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