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Imagine that your world is falling apart around you: you are receiving failing grades at school; you are about to lose your after-school job; you learn that someone you do not like has been spreading lies about you. As you look at your circumstances, a question comes to your mind: whom can you trust to stand by you through this? Even more, who can help you overcome the most serious problems, such as your own pull toward sin and death?

As proof that even great saints can suffer terribly, Holy King David experienced a time when his world was being destroyed:

Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not despise my supplication; attend to me, and hear me. I am vexed in my prayer, and troubled by the enemy's voice and by the sinner's affliction; for they turned their lawlessness upon me, and in wrath they were indignant with me. My heart was troubled within me, and the terror of death fell on me. Fear and trembling came upon me, and the darkness covered me. I said, 'Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly away and be at rest? Behold, I fled far away, and lodged in the wilderness.' I wait for the One who saves me from faintheartedness and storm (Psalm 54: 2-9)

True friends can help tremendously during times of trouble, as St. Maximos the Confessor points out, “'A faithful friend is beyond price' (Ecclesiastes 6:15), since he regards his friend's misfortunes as his own and suffers with him, sharing his trials until death.” Unfortunately, however, you cannot always rely on friends to be around when you need help - they might be in another city or state, or be in a position where they are unable to help.

Furthermore, people are sinful, and therefore there is always the possibility that another person will refuse to give you assistance. The Holy Prophet Jeremiah warns against trusting others for all things, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength’” (Jeremiah 17:5). The Psalmist similarly warns, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish” (Psalm 146:3-4).

Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky elaborates on the danger of putting all your trust in other people:

The difficulty we have in relations to other people lies in the fact that mankind is neither totally trustworthy, nor altogether unreliable. We must learn to trust others conditionally, knowing that they are capable of rejecting the “right” and choosing the ‘wrong,’ and under given conditions they will do so.

The people I write of are not mankind in general, not the stranger or your neighbor, but the one you see across the table at dinner. What parent can say he truly knows his child? No doubt you know most of the patterns that shape his life decisions; however, because he is human, he can do the unpredictable.

You never know when a person will reject you, because he himself doesn’t know how he will respond to temptation. The most we can do is to detect the other person’s weaknesses, in order to anticipate the decisions he will make and the temptations that will overwhelm him.

Nearly all of us let our weakness show through. Some people, for example, are born quitters, who start each new project with gusto only to fall away at the first annoyance. Others are vain, and seek constant adulation. When they no longer hear their name on our lips, they go elsewhere for praise. Some begin humbly, but give them one taste of glory and they are forever intoxicated with self-esteem.

A typical North American response would be to say, “I’m the only person I can fully trust. I know that, no matter what may happen, I’m strong enough to see myself through the situation.” The Russians have a folk saying that addresses the concept of self-reliance, “Do not trust yourself this side of the grave.” There are certainly things we can do for ourselves, but we tend to overlook our sinfulness and believe we are capable of far greater things than we can accomplish in reality. Worst of all, as Romans chapter one points out, we even think that we do not need God, and are capable of ordering our own lives. Tito Colliander, a twentieth century Orthodox teacher, explains the Orthodox understanding of self-reliance:

The holy Fathers say with one voice: The first thing to keep in mind is never in any respect to rely on yourself... The decision not to rely on self is for most people a severe obstacle at the very outset. It must be overcome, otherwise we have no prospect of going further. For how can a human being receive advice, instructions and help if he believes that he knows and can do everything and needs no directions? Through such a wall of self-satisfaction no gleam of light can penetrate. ‘Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own right,’ cries the prophet Isaiah (5:21), and the apostle St. Paul utters the warning: ‘Be not wise in your own conceits (Romans 12:16).’ The kingdom of heaven has been ‘revealed unto babes,’ but remains hidden from ‘the wise and prudent (Matthew 11:25).

Even if your friends can help you with temporary problems like earning higher grades, and even if you can work harder in order to save your job, no human can save you from sin and death (see Romans chapters two and three). As Tito Coliander explains,

The warfare (between the law of the Spirit and the law of the flesh - see Romans chapter seven) that now lies before you is extraordinarily hard, and your own human powers are altogether insufficient to carry it on. If you rely on them you will immediately be felled to the ground and have no desire to continue the battle. Only God can give you the victory you wish.

Only God can unfailingly assist you during times of tribulation and struggle. Even if He chooses to allow you to suffer through the problems in order to accomplish His greater purpose in your life (Romans 8:28), He will always be with you to strengthen you during the bad times. A psalm attributed to Holy King David reinforces this belief: “I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised” (Psalm 18:1-3; see also 2 Samuel 22:2-4). The Holy Prophet Habakkuk gives a beautiful description of relying on God during times of trouble:

For though the fig tree will not bear fruit and there be no grapes on the vines; the labor of the olive tree fail and the fields yield not food; though the sheep have no pasture and there be no oxen in the cribs; yet will I glory in the Lord; I will rejoice in God my Savior. The Lord God is my strength; He will direct my feet to the end; He will set me upon high places, so to conquer by His song (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

The Holy Apostle Peter puts it simply, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

More importantly, only God saves you from the law of sin and death. St. Paul tells you: “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).

How can you begin trusting God in everything? How can you experience this kind of trusting relationship in your daily life? A great way to start is by paying special attention to the litanies prayed during each Divine Liturgy. These litanies cover a wide array of the greatest concerns in our lives, from blessings for all Christians to protection from all afflictions and dangers. Below is the Great Litany that is said at the beginning of each Divine Liturgy; you might find it helpful to pray for these things throughout the day:

Deacon: In peace let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For the peace of God and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For our Archbishop (Name), our Bishop (Name), the honorable presbyters, the deacons in the service of Christ, and all the clergy and laity, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For our country, the president, and all those in public service, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For this parish and city, for every city and country, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For favorable weather, an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and temperate seasons, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For travelers by land, sea, and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captives, and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: Help us, save us, have mercy upon us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Remembering our most holy, pure, blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

People: To You, O Lord.

Priest (in a low voice): Lord, our God, whose power is beyond compare, and glory is beyond understanding; whose mercy is boundless, and love for us is ineffable; look upon us and upon this holy house in Your compassion. Grant to us and to those who pray with us Your abundant mercy.

Priest: For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

People: Amen.

St. Nicholas Cabasilas, who in the fourteenth century wrote the most famous commentary on the Divine Liturgy, explains why we pray for these specific things during the Great Litany:

When (the priest) says ‘peace’ he does not only mean that we shall be at peace with each other and not bear any ill-will, but that we shall be at peace with ourselves so that we are not condemned by our own hearts. This is indeed a great benefit; it is above all essential to our well-being…When we have this approach, we can make petitions in charity for others, not only for the Church and the rulers of the empire and those in danger and trouble and adversity, but indeed for all mankind throughout the world…And then, according to the blessed Paul, we pray thus in order that we ourselves, surrounded by peace, ‘may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.’ And we do not ask only for the things of the spirit, but also for those material benefits which we require, for healthful air and an abundance of the fruits of the earth, in order that we may recognize God as Creator and Provider of all things and may look always to him.

If you trust in God, you will discover the truth of Jesus’ words, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).