Trust is a feeling of absolute certainty; it is the act of placing complete reliance on someone or something, implying a certain level of maturity. Spiritual growth, much like physical growth, has three (03) stages: childhood, adolescence, and maturity. Similar to a newborn who must first sit, crawl, and then stand, the born-again Christian must quickly progress through the stages of spiritual childhood and adolescence to reach maturity. The prayer of trust is addressed to those who have attained spiritual maturity, namely the fathers as revealed in 1 John 2:14:

“I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.“

Spiritual growth begins and ends with the knowledge of the word of God. We must immerse ourselves in this word to the point of intoxication, as indicated by the exhortation in 1 Peter 2:2:

“Desire, as newborn babes, the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby for salvation.“

God wants to lead us to spiritual maturity, in other words, to the perfect knowledge of the one who is “Yahweh,” the one whom Moses sent to deliver his people enslaved in Egypt according to Exodus 3:14. Only the fathers know His nature because they have experienced and witnessed His work. The prayer of trust, that of the fathers who have absolute confidence in the Lord and are aware of His infinite potential, expresses an extraordinary dimension of our relationship with the Lord. The Living Bible version declares in 1 Peter 5:7:

“Once and for all, unload all your worries on him. Because he took care of you.”

This prayer does not tolerate empty words; it is made once and for all because it comes from the fathers, those who have had the revelation of Yahweh, the One who is. Thus, the one with the maturity of a father simply presents his problem to God and asks Him to solve it on his behalf in the name of Jesus. He does not burden himself with endless words or convoluted formulas. This short but precise prayer, in the eyes of God, due to the total trust in Him, will have its effect.

Beloved, it is important for us to grow spiritually in order to rest in the shadow of the Almighty, for He knows that we abide in Him, and He will come to our aid whenever we call upon Him. He has taken care of everything; let us refuse to continue carrying the burden when He has already relieved us of it. We must let ourselves be completely guided by Him so that He may help us in difficult times. In this regard, a friend of mine whom I strongly encouraged to court a girl from a relatively affluent family. The friend was penniless and had nothing. I assisted him in this matter, and the marriage took place against all odds.

However, the aftermath was challenging because the couple needed to meet their needs, and the husband had no job. We invoked the Lord through a prayer of trust, and God stretched out His hand to help us; He provided a job for my friend through a third party, and to this day, he continues to hold that position.

Beloved, know that it is God’s will for us to grow both spiritually and materially. Do not let Satan divert you from your destiny. God intends for us to reach spiritual maturity, moving from the stage of childhood to that of an adult, that is, someone who knows the true nature of God. Thus, inspired by the Spirit of God, David, at the age of only 17, challenged and defeated the Philistine Goliath. David relied on the Eternal God of armies; outwardly, he had the morphology of a child, but spiritually he occupied the dimension of the fathers.

Christians do not realize the grace they have or the harm they do to themselves by not accepting to unload their burdens; indeed, God Himself has already taken care of them, making us free in the process. Their lives are similar to that of a person carrying a burden of 100 kg and sitting in a vehicle. Such a person would be foolish because they should deposit their burden in the vehicle to be comfortable.

This comparison illustrates the senseless and painful efforts we make every day to carry our burdens when God has already taken care of them. We refuse to entrust everything to God.

Beloved, my wish is for you to prosper in every way and reach the dimension of a father for a victorious life with the Lord without difficulty.

This text is an excerpt from the book “The 40 Different Kinds of Prayers” written by Prophet Emmanuel SAWADOGO.