God’s grace always assists a struggler, but this does not mean that a struggler is always in the position of a victor; sometimes the beasts did not touch the righteous ones, but by no means did they not always touch them. What is important is not victory or the position of a victor, but rather the labor of striving towards God and devotion to Him. Though a man may be found in a weak state; that does not at all mean that he has been abandoned by God. The Lord Jesus Christ, according to the worldly view, was in trouble, but when the sinful world considered Him to be completely destroyed; in actuality He was victorious over death and Hades. The Lord did not promise us positions as victors as a reward for righteousness, but told us, “In the world we shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). The power of God is effective when a person asks for the help of God, acknowledging the weakness and sinfulness of his nature. This is why humility and the striving towards God are the fundamental virtues of a Christian.

St. John Maximovitch, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966)