In order to defeat failure and despair one must have faith that God will grant us success: “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build.” When Saint Paul was going through a difficult trial that made him say, “We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves,” what made him victorious was his faith. Let us contemplate on what he said and what his thinking was. He said, “we despaired even of life” and “had the sentence of death in ourselves.” Can God do anything to one who is dead? God can indeed raise the dead! Even if I reach a point of despair in my life that is so severe and I am like the dead, I should still never lose my hope nor let the despair crawl into my heart.

—H.E. Metropolitan Youssef, How to Overcome Hopelessness and Despair