“Christians are able to face any and every event with confidence in what the Lords intends. Our Lord puts into words His pure gift of revelation that He addresses to all such queries: “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father” (vs. 22). We know God’s ultimate conclusion: “And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (Rev 22:3). God is in charge during every upheaval in our lives. Whatever happens, God permits it – although much happens that He neither causes nor welcomes. What we do know is that God can use every event to complete His plan for the world, for “neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).” (Dynamis 10/21/2020)
“Those of us who seek to follow after and draw close to God can expect to spend our lives engaged in a struggle, a wrestling match, with the evil that dwells within our hearts. We can expect to be lonely, to be tired, to be afraid, to suffer pain, and to be unable to understand the world around us and what is going on inside of us. At the same time, we have witnessed the fact that Jesus Christ overcame all of the evil that we have to offer and more besides. Because He has already won the battle which we all fight, the peace that we seek, the simply joy and contentment that we hope for in life, all lie with Him. If we are following Christ down the path which He walked, which includes His journey to the Cross, then we have no need to ever fear or worry, because we know that no matter how desperate or dark any hour may seem, we have seen how this story ends. We know the point toward which we are journeying, and it is eternal life with our Lord.” (Father Stephen De Young)
“We pray silently, out of utter dependence on God, and pour out our fears and needs upon Him. It is at that moment that we enter into the miracle on the sea. Christs vests us with the lifejacket of His peace and hope, which no wave, storm, or chaos can overcome. The Apostle Peter had to let go in order to stay afloat. The presence of Christ made it okay for him to let go. Each day Christ waits for us on this sea of life to have this encounter.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)
“God’s promise....to us is that nothing will defeat us completely; He will help us through the most agonizing problems. Face each day with the assurance that God will be with you and see you through.” (Life Application Study Bible, Jeremiah 1:14-19)
“Everything seems dark and difficult to a person without Christ.” (Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos)