Often it is our trials that drive us to be devoted to prayer. When a trial hits we pray frequently and fervently. The more intense is the trial, the more intensely we pray. Prayer is the lifeline that lays hold of the living God to supply our needs during times of tribulation. As St. Hovhan Mandakuni says: “The prayers of the praying man/woman are like hands, by which he/she grasps the feet of God.” Indeed, holding God’s feet, being devoted to prayer is the only way that we can persevere in tribulation and rejoice in hope.