“The ideas that constitute “modernity” center around life as management. Modernity assumes that life can be managed, and that human beings are well-suited for the job. It’s greatest successes have come in the careful application of technology towards various problems with a resulting rise in wealth. The well-being that comes with that wealth is limited to the things that money can buy. Non-tangibles remain as elusive as ever. Modernity prefers problems that can be solved. As such, the short history of the modern world is the story of a civilization that staggers from one crisis to another. It derives its sense of self-worth and meaning from the problems it solves. It is existentially desperate for such problems.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“We live in a society and culture that teaches us that humanity can accomplish any goal, that nothing is impossible, and that human technology and ingenuity is capable of solving any problem. In a simpler and more faithful time, people knew this was not true, and only God could do some things that needed to be done.” (Fr. Andrew Demotses)
“One of our main problems when it comes to dealing with our problems is our perception of them and the order of the actions we take. Many times we allow our anxiety to get the better of us by focusing on the potential negative outcomes that have yet to happen. As Mark Twain famously quipped, ‘I’m an old man now and have had a great many problems. Most of them never happened.’ We complicate this by taking our problems to prayer and turning them over to God (releasing control to Him) as a last resort, and only when we have exhausted our ingenuity to solve them. It’s amazing how much better we feel and how more effectively we act to solve them when we turn problems over to Him first. By doing so, we act in cooperation with Him and stay focused in the present and not on an imagined future.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
“So prayer is the greatest gift to man, not only because it connects man to God, but because it is also the need and the solution for all things that man faces. People imagine that their problems and worries can be solved on the horizontal level, through human capacities. No doubt something of this is necessary, but everything without exception, all the cares and difficulties should first be faced with prayer, that is on the vertical level, by casting them at the feet of Jesus. It is no surprise that the Lord said, "Come to me all who are burdened and heavy-laden and I will give you rest." Our rational solutions and initiatives are not always correct, but the Lord God knows exactly what we need. This is why through prayer, through putting the matter in God's hands, through giving oneself and one's concerns over, one finds the appropriate solution to all one's problems! (Fr. Touma Bitar)
“We must learn to ease the burden of thoughts that bears down upon us. As soon as we feel burdened, we must turn to the Lord and give our worries over to Him, as well as the worries and cares of our loved ones. I always give my problems over to the Lord, as well as the problems of those that come to me. I give them over to the Lord and His Most Holy Mother, and they take care of everything. As for me, how can I help others when I cannot even help myself?” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)
“The verb “commit to” is from a word meaning “to roll.” The idea is to “roll your cares onto the Lord.” Trusting the Lord with our decisions frees us from preoccupation with our problems.” (Foundation Study Bible, Proverbs 16:3)
“There are so many techniques and approaches today that teach us how to master our stress and anxiety, to take control of ourselves and our problems. Christianity teaches us turn our problems over to God. It is not an abdication of responsibility, quite the contrary. It is taking full responsibility without slipping into delusion that we can control and solve all our problems by our own power. To taste Christ’s promised peace by “outsourcing” our problems to God is a precious gift most of us do not accept.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
“Sometime we find ourselves caught in a problem and see now way out. Don’t panic; God can open a way…When nothing makes sense, and when troubles seem more than you can bear, remember that God gives strength. Take your eyes off your difficulties and look to God.” (Life Application Study Bible, Exodus 14:21, Habakkuk 3:17-19)
“When you want to resolve a complex problem, seek God’s will in the matter, and you will find a constructive solution." (St. Mark the Ascetic)
“Sometime we need to let “it” be. That “it” may be a problem, a relationship, or our very life, for that matter. But when we “let it be,” it should be because we turn over that problem to God, or as another slogan goes, “Let go and let God.” (Marianne C. Sailus)
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