“We are obsessed with control, yet there is no nobility in doing something when you know exactly what the outcome will be. That’s why it’s a noble thing for a firefighter to rush into a burning building to save someone, or a patient to wage a battle with cancer, or a person to listen to someone who needs comfort, because in any of these situations, a person does not know the outcome, but takes a chance anyway.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)
“Should we pray for specific outcomes? Yes and no. We do not, or should not, pray for specific outcomes as our primary reason for prayer. Our motivation for prayer should be love for God and the desire for an ever deepening relationship with Him. The primary outcome, not outcomes, of prayer is this deepening relationship… As Christ said, God already knows all of our needs. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t bring these needs before Him but it should not be our sole motivation for prayer…And what does it mean to pray effectively? It does not so much have to do with outcomes as it does to move us from our own self-centeredness and tendency toward self-will and align us with God’s good and perfect will.” (Sacramental Living)
“There must be balance in life between our actions and our faith in God…We should use our minds and resources to obey God, while at the same time trusting God for the outcome.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 Samuel 10:6)
“…we should be slow to judge our circumstance and trust God that He is working out His will for us and that His will is always what is actually best for us even when it doesn’t seem that way….It’s our trust in God during our circumstance despite the worldly outcome that is ultimately what is important.” (Sacramental Living Podcast)
“Because they believe in Him, they learn to bear the Cross daily and to rely upon Him for the outcome." (Watchman Née)