“God works invisibly beneath our actions to deal with desperate circumstances. He uses our striving to face troubles and perils to carry out His will… We may act skillfully or clumsily. We may live wisely or foolishly. We may be clever or clueless, but the Almighty is with us. He is always working beneath what we do to fulfill His will in our lives. So let us abandon our pride and give Him the glory whether what we do turns out well or badly. Thus, let us trust that ultimately his will be done in our lives. everything that happens is by the will and work of the grace of God.” (Fr. Basil)
“God looks at all the possible consequences and knows every single possible angle. That some of those acts might not make sense to us is not an indication that the Bible is wrong or that God Himself might not exist or that He is a wicked god. It means that we’re human and by comparison don’t know jack. Sometimes, God makes decisions that really are for the good of everyone involved that, if we made them, would almost certainly not be. But we’re not God, and we don’t know jack.” (Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick)
“…Pharaoh opposed God, and thus God used his arrogance to accomplish the divine will. The actions of God's will are neither capricious nor vindictive, but are based in divine mercy and compassion. Even though mankind does not understand the basis of God's decisions (see Is 55:8, 9), we trust His grace and righteousness, upon which our salvation rests.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Romans 9:14-18)
“We must be prepared to accept the will of God. The Lord permits all sorts of things to happen to us contrary to our will, for if we always have it our way, we will not be prepared for the Kingdom of Heaven…God has a Divine plan for each one of us, and we must submit to His plan. We must accept life as it is given to us, without asking, “Why me?” We must know that nothing on earth or in heaven ever happens without the will of God or His permission.” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)
“Presumably we, too, desire to do the will of God. Two issues face us when we seek to conform to the will of God. The first is discernment, the second willingness. How do we discern the will of God in the flux of circumstances in this life, and then become willing to do His will? According to Saint Paul, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14). He adds immediately, “But he who is spiritual judges all things” (vs. 15). Surely Christ our God asks us to do His will. Our first task then as disciples is to be spiritual so that we may more readily judge the will of God aright in every circumstance.” (Dynamis 6/14/2021)
“St. Paul lifts a song of praise to God, “For from Him, and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever” (OAB Romans 11:36). This hymn expresses the deep insight that God is the Giver of Life. He is the source of the life of the righteous and of the unrighteous. In this sense, as the sage suggests, even the wicked give Glory to God, their Creator. If it is true that those who do evil give Glory to God, how much more is it true for those who set out to do good. If that insight holds for those who plan what is contrary to God’s will, how much does it hold for those who seek to do what is pleasing to Him? Therefore, ultimately everything and every event work to fulfill God’s glory.” (Fr. Basil)
“If you wish to find peace of soul, happiness and sure salvation, humble yourself beneath the mighty hand of God and He will raise you up. This means: accept all that happens to you as from the hand of God and not from men, for indeed, nothing which occurs to us can happen without God’s will.” (Abbot Nikon Vorobiev)
“Nothing ever happens either in the world or in the universe without the will of God or His permission. All that is good and noble is God’s will, and all that is negative and bad happens because He allows it. He knows why He allows these things to happen and for how long.” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)
“Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” The author assumes that while we make our plans, they only fit into the larger plans of God.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“Many, many…many of my best laid plans have been thwarted, and I will admit I did not always handle the disappointment with grace and dignity. In hindsight, however, I can see exactly how those blows to my pride and presumptions were necessary for my spiritual growth, and for my ability to empathize with the struggles of others. As hard and sometimes scary as it is to surrender my longings and expectations to Christ, praying “Thy Will Be Done” with fear and trembling, the letting go brings with it a new realization of how omnipresent God’s compassion is. Viewing whatever befalls me as an opportunity to become ever more long-suffering and merciful allows me to rise-above the fear of failure, interruption or being disdained. Peace is trusting Christ to provide not what I want but what I need, because He loves me.” (Molly Sabourin)
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