You trust God?ย One of di most beautiful prayers wey you fit pray come from di Divine Mercy devotion: Jesus, na You I trust.ย So, you trust Am?ย And if you trust Am, wetin this trust dey do for your life?ย How you dey trust Am?ย How deep your trust be?ย How you take reach di level of trust wey you get?ย These na just some important questions wey you must face if you want make di virtue of humility wey you don embrace lead you to di second most important virtue for di road to holiness: trust.
If you trust God from di deepest part of your heart, then you get faith for Am wey dey show for action.ย To get faith for God wey dey show for action mean more than to just believe for Am.ย E fit surprise you say even demons believe for God (see James 2:19).ย Faith wey dey show for action mean say you believe and you surrender your life completely to Am.ย You put your whole being for God hand, under di care and guidance wey E dey give as E dey provide for you.
To Move From Humility to Trust
So, for everyday life, how person dey experience trust for God?ย Make we assume say you don choose to embrace di virtue of humility.ย Because of this, you don begin leave behind di fear and worry wey dey come when you dey worry about wetin other people think about you. You don also begin see yourself as God dey see you, and na this truth alone you take know your dignity and value.ย You don begin free from di desire for praise wey no come from sincere heart, and you don begin truly desire wetin good for other people, even pass wetin good for yourself.ย You no dey think only about yourself again, whether for your thoughts, your actions or even your desires.ย
This one good, and e provide di foundation to waka for di road to holiness.ย But these humble attitudes na only di foundation for wetin go come next for person spiritual journey.ย Humility dey prepare you to make di choice wey go change your whole life: to put all your trust for God, and for God alone.ย As humility dey grow, trust for God must grow too.ย So how you go take this next step to put all your trust for God?ย How humble soul wey don turn away from selfishness go now turn to God and surrender to Am?
To put yourself for God hand, di first thing na to accept this basic truth say you no fit do anything good without God.ย Na so e be.ย To understand this truth dey necessary for di virtue of trust.ย Na God, and God alone, be di source of all goodness for life.ย Without Am, na your sins and life of misery remain for you.ย Sometimes, e hard to believe say you no get power to do anything good without di grace of God.ย But di truth be say no gift, talent or quality wey you get dey enough for you to succeed on your own and bear good fruit for your life.ย Your own effort alone no get power to make you waka for di road to holiness.ย
You believe this?ย To believe this truth need di most basic kind of faith: faith wey just dey believe.ย But to believe this truth no enough.ย Faith must also show for di way you dey live.
Make we first understand these two levels of faith, so we go fit learn how to get both of them.ย Even though this one fit look more like lesson about theology than lesson about everyday life, to understand faith dey necessary if you want live am.
Faith Wey Dey Show for Action and Faith Wey Just Dey Believe
We fit describe faith as both faith wey just dey believe and faith wey dey show for action.ย First, โfaith wey just dey believeโ dey enough to make you believe say na God be di one and only source of all goodness for your life.ย To get faith wey just dey believe mean say you know and believe this truth, and you no doubt am.ย This na good truth to discover, and na necessary first step towards deeper trust.ย Sadly, na truth wey many people no dey understand.ย So start with this step, and think deeply about this truth for your own life.ย
Once you believe say na God be di only source of all goodness for your life, you must then enter into โfaith wey dey show for actionโ for God.ย To get faith wey โdey show for actionโ mean say you allow wetin you believe for your mind to also enter your will, and finally your desires.ย In other words, you must allow wetin you don come to believe to change you.ย You must freely choose to let God take control of your life and make am bear good fruit.ย
Di result of believing for God and putting yourself for Im hand na di glorious change wey go happen for your soul.ย God go enter your soul more deeply and take control, dey guide you day by day according to Im holy will.ย To live this kind life of complete trust dey bear good fruit for your life, and e dey prepare you both to receive God mercy and to share am with others.
We still need to talk about one third point so we go understand how to put your trust for God dey change you.ย To believe God and put yourself for His hand no be something wey you fit do by your own power.ย Na God must take control and change you.ย Na only through wetin God do you fit truly trust Him.ย You must do your own part, but na God dey take control of your life and make you fit change to soul wey His grace dey guide.
To make dis one clearer, make we look at one example.ย Make we say you hold one seed for hand.ย You know say dis seed fit grow become fine flower if person plant am and care for am.ย But di seed no fit become wetin e fit be unless person really plant am.ย Apart from dat, to plant am alone no reach.ย E must still grow and bring out flower before e fit become all wetin e fit be and show all im beauty.ย You fit plant di seed, give am wetin e need and care for am, but you no fit make am grow.ย Na God dey make am grow through His providence wey E don put inside di nature of di seed itself.ย Na so e still be with faith.ย We must believe say na God alone be di source of every good thing for our lives. But unless we dey actively hand ourselves over to Him, day after day, moment after moment, and allow Him take control of our lives, our faith go be like dead seed wey dey wait for person to plant am.ย To hand your whole self over be like to put di seed for ground and allow God take over, so dat seed of faith go bear fruit.ย If you do your own part, God go do His own and make His grace blossom fully for your life.ย So, to hold di seed for your hand be like to believe in God; to plant am and water am be like to put yourself for God’s hand; but na only God fit make am grow and bring out flower.ย Still, God dey faithful always, and E go change di โseedโ if you do your own part.
Di Invitation to Hand Your Whole Self Over
Trust dey start when God speak to you, you recognise His voice, and you begin to respond.ย So, na God dey act first by inviting you.ย Your response must be 100% a choice wey you freely make.ย But e must still be 100% a choice wey God make through His invitation and grace.ย You no fit reach trust unless you and God work together in perfect cooperation.
For example, think about person wey suffer and struggle for one year after serious motor accident.ย During all those long periods wey e spend for hospital, temptation to lose hope, vex, doubt and things like that go come.ย But at the same time, if e open im heart to God grace, e go hear God dey gently invite am to trust Am more deeply.ย Na for times like these the person must choose.ย I go put myself for the care of God grace and accept His invitation?ย I go respond to Am and answer the call wey E dey put for my heart?ย Or I go turn all my attention to myself, dey pity myself and carry bitterness for heart?ย Faith wey dey active dey become response to God for times like this, and e dey turn hardship to glorious blessings.ย So, when you face hardship for your life, open your ears listen to God gentle voice, let Am speak to you, call you to surrender yourself to Am, and invite you to let His grace transform your struggle.ย As you choose to surrender yourself to God inside this trial, that choice dey gain plenty strength and merit.ย For this kind situation, the deep pain and suffering for your heart dey actually carry your choice to trust God reach far greater heights.ย The suffering wey person dey face dey turn to grace.ย So, e important to understand say trials for life dey give us great opportunities to grow for holiness.ย When you choose to surrender yourself more deeply to God because of some suffering wey you dey endure, that choice get great value because God dey invite you to overcome self-pity, selfishness and pain from their root.
Think, too, about person wey im life dey go well well.ย God go still dey invite this person every day to turn to Him and surrender imself more deeply to Him.ย But e important to note say, for times like this, God gentle invitation go dey far less obvious, and di person go need to pay even more attention to His voice.ย Why?ย Because for times like this, na pure faith alone go move di person to trust God.ย No outside pressure go push person wey im life dey go well well to hear di invitation.ย Instead, God go invite di person to surrender simply because surrender itself good.ย This invitation fit even mean say di person go let go of some of di โgood thingsโ wey e meet for life.ย But e go let go of these โgood thingsโ wey no too deep so e fit choose wetin better pass: life of deeper faith and love for God and neighbour.ย This kind surrender to God get great merit too.ย E different from surrendering to God because of trial wey person dey face for life, but e still dey bring plenty grace, especially because di person make di choice with great freedom, without anything wey dey push am for that moment apart from love for God.
For example, imagine say your marriage sweet well well and you get lovely family.ย Your work dey bring plenty income, and you still dey move forward for your career.ย You dey live di โAmerican dream,โ and everything dey go well.ย But deep inside, you realise say life get more meaning than this kind success.ย You realise say God want more for you and your whole family.ย You begin hear God gentle voice dey call you to life of more complete surrender.ย Because of this, you choose to answer Him and begin surrender more deeply to God will, simply because you love God.ย You make firm decision to give God everything, and you dey ready and willing to let go of anything wey God fit ask from you.ย For di way di world dey see things, this choice carry risk.ย Wetin God fit ask from you?ย
Di main question to think deeply about no too be God fit ask from you; instead, di question na whether you dey ready and willing to give to God even before you know wetin He fit ask from you.ย Di key na trust.ย You trust God reach to let Him lead di way?ย And if, at first, you no understand His gentle invitation, you dey willing to accept His will and say โYesโ every day?ย For person wey surrender everything, especially when life dey go well, di future go carry even more blessing in way wey far better pass anything wey di person fit ever imagine.ย Maybe no be for di way di world dey see blessing, but e go surely be for way wey far better, because e go produce good fruit wey come from life wey grace fill to overflow.
Make we look at one example to compare am.ย Say your daughter need operation, and you buy gift give am to comfort am.ย This time wey she dey hospital give you chance to show your love by giving her gift.ย But what if, for another day for di year, you decide to give your daughter gift for no particular reason apart from say you freely want show your love, without anything else wey push you for that moment?ย Which of these gifts go likely touch her heart more?ย And which one go show your love more?ย Both good, and both occasions dey bring blessings wey no fit count, each for im own special way.ย But di act of love wey you freely choose and wey she no expect get great value, simply because nothing else push you apart from love.ย Na so e be with surrender to God.ย When na only love for God dey move person to surrender and trust, this act get great value.
Di important point to take from this section na say, whether suffering fill your life, your life dey go well well, or e dey somewhere between di two, you get great opportunity to surrender more fully to God.ย No matter where you find yourself, e get great value to answer God invitation to put your life for His care and accept His most holy will.
How to Discern God Will
One important thing for trusting God na to know His will.ย If you no know wetin God dey ask you to do, e hard to say โYesโ to His gentle invitation.ย But wetin be God will for you?ย How you go know wetin E want from you?ย Wetin you suppose say โYesโ to for your life?ย These na important questions wey you need answer if you wan live life of active faith and surrender to God.
Jesus talk for Matthew Gospel say, โNa by their fruits una go know demโ (Matthew 7:16a). Na so e still be with wetin God want for your own life. One good way to discern wetin God want na to look the good fruit wey dey come out when you accept one decision or another. This na principle wey dey help well well for discernment, and e good make you remember am. Which good fruit we suppose look for? St. Paul Letter to the Galatians list these good fruits wey dey come when you accept wetin God want for your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23).
If you dey experience the good fruit wey we list above, make you use am as sign say wetin you dey do agree with wetin God want. If you no see these good fruits for your life, or you notice other effects wey no holy dey come from the choices wey you dey make, then make you move with care and conclude say your actions no agree with wetin God want.
But make you careful! Sometimes you fit mistake other kinds of satisfaction wey no dey last for good spiritual fruit. To use one serious example, some people fit feel say revenge dey give dem some satisfaction. Dem fit enjoy this or that action wey dem use pay back person wey don hurt dem. Dem fit even see am as matter of God justice, dey see only demself as righteous and conclude say na dem right and the person deserve the revenge. Even though something like revenge fit bring some kind of joy and satisfaction wey don bend from the right way, once you come know the true Fruits of the Spirit, you no go mistake dem for fake versions and pleasures wey don bend from the right way. St. Paul list these opposite works as signs say we no dey accept wetin God want: immoral behaviour, impurity, sexual behaviour wey no get restraint, idol worship, sorcery, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, sudden outbursts of serious anger, selfish actions, divisions, factions, acts of envy, heavy drinking, wild parties with sexual immorality, and things like these (see Galatians 5:19-21). If these things dey for your life, then you fit dey sure say the choices wey you dey make no dey in union with wetin God want.
Another important principle for discerning wetin God want na to look again at the virtue of humility and the way humility dey affect your desires. As e suppose be, if humility fill your desires, you suppose fit follow wetin God want quickly and easily just by following your desires. But your desires fit guide you well to discern wetin God want only when you dey humble. When you dey humble, meaning say selfishness and fear no dey control you and you truly want wetin go good for other people, then e go easier for you to trust say any desire wey dey your heart still dey in union with wetin God want. But when you still dey struggle with pride and selfishness, your desires no dey usually guide you well.
Prayer as the Greatest Source of Discernment
Na prayer be the most important source of the help wey we need to recognise God will and surrender ourselves to Am.ย E dey impossible to recognise God will and surrender yourself to Am without active life of daily prayer.ย Active life of prayer no be the same thing as to dey recite prayers.ย E clear say e good to recite prayers, to pray for your own needs and other people needs, to join for formal prayers, liturgical prayers and things like that.ย But to get โlife of prayerโ mean something wey deep pass that well well.ย
Life of prayer mean say, as time dey go, you don form di habit to dey communicate with God, so that e don become something wey dey continue, dey sustain you, and dey serve as foundation for every decision wey you dey make for life.ย E mean say meditation wey you dey do every day, di way you dey faithfully surrender yourself to God, good moral life, and di way you don accept to live holy life don affect you so much that you dey live for active and real relationship with our God wey be Trinity, throughout di day, every day.ย Life of prayer mean say you don come know God voice and you don sabi di way E dey move your heart.ย You no fit learn this one overnight.ย E no fit happen just because you ask God to speak.ย Instead, na something wey dey come small-small, because of relationship of love with God wey dey continue.
To use comparison, think about two teenagers wey โfall in love.โย For beginning, di teenagers fit never know each other well enough to understand di different moods, words or attitudes of each other.ย Dem fit dey struggle every time to communicate clearly, and feelings fit make dem no see di relationship clearly.ย Compare dem with husband and wife wey don marry for over 60 years, wey don live married life full of love and dey communicate well with each other.ย Plenty times, dem no need talk much before dem go understand each other.ย In fact, for some ways, each one fit know di other person even pass as di person know imself.ย This kind knowledge dey take time, commitment and love.ย As di years dey pass, di relationship dey deepen and grow.
Na so e still be with God and how we dey discern wetin E want.ย For beginning, new Christian fit no understand clearly wetin God dey talk and why E dey talk am.ย But as years dey pass and the person continue to pray deeply every day, this life of prayer, wey stand on the love between God and the person, go help the soul begin understand God and His ways more easily.ย For God side, E don already understand us perfectly.ย But na we need life of prayer so we go understand God and wetin E want more fully.ย So, for life wey we surrender ourselves to God with trust, nothing fit take the place of prayer with God every day, day after day, year after year, ten years after ten years.
How Prayer Dey Change Person
Your life of prayer na the setting where you dey meet God and encounter His holy will more directly pass any other way.ย But your life of prayer no be only to discern wetin God want.ย Prayer must still become the foundation for every choice wey you make and everything wey you do for life.ย Once you don encounter God and His will for prayer, you must then allow these encounters change all the other parts of your daily life.ย Na prayer alone must become the source of all the choices wey you make for life, because na prayer go be the connection wey dey hold you to wetin God want.ย To hear God dey speak, respond to His will, and allow Am change your life go be the fruit of true life of prayer.ย Prayer dey change you, because for prayer, God dey take charge of your life.ย This dey build trust and surrender.
The problem wey most people dey face be say dem dey say small prayer here and there.ย Dem dey go church every Sunday.ย Dem dey try live life wey upright for God eye.ย But dem no dey encounter the living God for prayer every day.ย To say small prayer here and there, go Sunday Mass and live life wey upright for God eye na very good things.ย But dem no enough.ย Every person need time to dey alone every day, to do nothing else apart from prayer.ย Many times, to build this habit dey hard.ย E too easy to allow the activities of the day steal the most important part of your day.ย E easy to pass through day, week, month and even your whole life without really connecting with God deeply and with your whole being.ย But you must do am if you go become holy.
To use comparison, husband and wife wey dey spend time every day to talk, share wetin dey their heart, listen and understand each other, dey slowly build di foundation for relationship where dem dey support each other.ย This one dey especially true when dem dey share with each other with prayerful heart.ย When their talk dey harsh, rude and full of fault-finding, di union of their marriage dey begin weak.ย But when their daily talk full of honesty, respect, love, mercy and understanding, their hearts dey draw closer.ย When husband and wife spend many years together, dey share this kind deep talk every day, di closeness and love wey dem share dey strong and dey sustain dem.ย Na so e still be for our relationship with God.ย When we form daily habit to dey communicate with God, listen to Am and understand Im mind and heart, di bond between us and Am dey sustain us and change us so much that our life of prayer dey become di foundation of our lives.
To embrace life of prayer no be something wey na only priest dem and religious dem God call to do.ย Everybody must pray, and everybody must learn to recognise the gentle voice of God wey dey invite dem and dey echo deep inside their soul through prayer.ย This no be matter of choice if you want become holy.ย And if you understand the value of holiness, you go desire this kind daily prayer with all your strength.
If your daily life of prayer no be one wey you dey use encounter the voice of God, then this na good time to do something about am.ย Start by setting some time aside every day when you fit dey alone without anything else wey go distract you.ย Even if na only five minutes a day you take start, e good.ย Everybody fit find five minutes a day for something wey important reach prayer.
For the end, prayer na conversation wey must become something wey dey continue.ย The time wey you give only to prayer every day must enter every other part of your day.ย The first thing e need na for you to dey willing to open your mind honestly to God, so that God fit put your life in order.ย E know every detail of your life, but when you bring the details of your life to Am for prayer, you dey open your heart to know wetin E get to talk about those details, and you dey allow Am enter and take charge of those details.ย This need time and commitment.ย So, the first step na to make the simple choice to begin communicate with Am every day.ย Make we look at one general way wey you fit take begin life of prayer.
Wen you start your prayer, start with wetin dey your
mind pass that day.ย E fit be joy wey you dey experience, or something wey dey worry you well-well, or both joy and burden.ย Anything wey dey your mind, start with that one.ย From there, turn your heart to God Heart and just place your burden and/or joy before Am.ย No look for answer or demand any response; just give Am wetin dey your mind and heart.ย
Too many times when we pray, we dey want answer sharp-sharp.ย We dey lose patience.ย But God no dey usually work like this.ย Plenty times, E dey remain silent so that we go surrender everything to Am more deeply.ย As you dey bring yourself and your struggle or joy before Am every day, no expect answer sharp-sharp.ย Trust Am.ย Put yourself for Im care and leave di matter there.ย Pay attention and wait make God gently invite you to surrender to Am.ย If God speak, you dey blessed.ย If na only silence you hear, then know say na this one best for you for that moment.ย Allow yourself grow for patience and continue to put your life for Im hands, as you dey wait for di gentle way E go move your heart.ย ย ย
If you do this every day, you go come understand say God dey communicate with you too, for ways wey pass wetin words fit express.ย Your โanswerโ go come for way wey na only God fit speak.ย The one wey matter pass be say you go don begin surrender yourself to God, as you dey place wetin dey affect you pass before Am every day.
After you don spend some time quietly, dey place your daily struggle and/or joy before God, plenty other forms of prayer dey wey you fit pray.ย To offer Rosary, pray chaplet, meditate on one short passage for the Gospel, or pray other set prayers or traditional prayersโall of them dey help well-well.ย Arrange one regular way of prayer wey go help you well.ย If you no sure wetin best for you, try different forms of prayer until you feel say one of them dey draw you.ย But remember, to recite prayers no be the same thing as to pray.ย Wen you dey recite prayers or meditate on the Gospel, make sure say e dey come from your heart and na true communication with God.ย You no need run through plenty prayers; wetin you need na to pray.ย In fact, one prayer wey you truly pray better pass plenty prayers wey you only talk with mouth.
Another important thing for prayer na silence.ย No fear silence.ย For example, if you dey pray one prayer and something for that prayer touch your heart, stop small, take time enjoy am, think deeply about am, and listen to God inside the silence.ย To listen to Am no always mean say you dey hear answer.ย To โlistenโ for prayer simply mean to pay attention to God as E dey make you know say E dey present.ย Prayer no be just to think; na to dey for God presence.ย Yes, we dey listen as God dey speak wen E choose to communicate one idea, but wen God dey keep quiet, this mean say E want communicate for level wey deep pass that one well-well.ย Sometimes, words no reach.ย For those moments, God just want make you dey for Im presence and know Im love.ย So, during your daily prayer time, watch for the gentle ways E dey invite you to stop and keep quiet for Im presence.ย This form of prayer go help your relationship with God pass wetin you fit ever know.
If you fit make this form of prayer your daily habit, even if na small time you dey spend with Am every day, you go begin experience how E dey take control of your life.ย You go begin find am easy to trust Am because na Im go dey give you the power to do so.ย Your trust go grow because you dey for Im presence.ย As you dey open your soul to Am and communicate with Am deeply, you go discover say you truly trust Am, and say through your prayer time, you dey surrender to Am as E dey give you the power to do so.ย This go happen especially during silent prayer.ย The communication wey E dey โspeakโ to you go be the kind wey E go enter your mind and your will, then small-small take control of them.ย You go begin believe more firmly and love Am more completely.ย Na trust be this.ย Na surrender be this.
Trust for the Holy Scriptures
From here, make we turn to the Holy Scriptures to understand trust better.ย Read the passages wey follow slowly and meditate on them.ย Go back to them again and allow God to speak to you through them.
Blessing dey for those wey trust the Lord;
ย ย ย na the Lord dem go put their trust for.
Dem be like tree wey dem plant near water
ย ย ย wey spread im roots reach the stream:
E no dey fear heat wen e come,
ย ย ย im leaves dey remain green;
For year wey drought dey, e no dey show any sign of suffering,
ย ย ย but e still dey bear fruit.ย Jeremiah 17:7-8
Trust L with all your heart,
ย ย ย no rely on your own intelligence;
For everything wey you dey do, remember Am,
ย ย ย and E go make your road straight.ย Prov. 3:5-6
O You wey High Pass All, when fear catch me,
ย ย ย na You I put my trust for.ย Psalm 56:3b-4
For morning, let me hear about Your mercy,
ย ย ย because na You I trust.
Show me the road wey I suppose follow,
ย ย ย because I put my life for Your hand.ย Psalm 143:8
โAmen, I dey tell una, if una get faith wey be like mustard seed for size, una go tell this mountain, โComot from here go there,โ and e go move. Nothing go dey impossible for una.โย Matthew 17:20b
โMake una no let trouble fill una heart. Una get faith for God; make una get faith for Me too.โย John 14:1
โSo I dey tell una, make una no dey worry about una life, wetin una go chop [or drink], or about una body, wetin una go wear. Life no pass food, and body no pass cloth?Look the birds for sky; dem no dey plant or harvest, dem no dey gather anything put for storehouse, but una Father for heaven dey feed dem. Una no important pass dem?โย Matthew 6:25-26
But make e ask with faith, without doubt, because person wey dey doubt be like wave for sea wey breeze dey drive and throw here and there.ย James 1:6
And we get this confidence for Am: if we ask anything wey agree with His will, E dey hear us.ย 1 John 5:14
These passages for Scripture dey tell us plenty things about to trust God.ย First, people wey trust God truly get wisdom.ย Dem get wisdom because dem don discover say na God, and only God, be the source of every good thing for life.
These passages still dey show say God get perfect plan for your life and say E no go ever fail you.ย Make you no fear to follow Am, because wetin complete trust go bring better pass anything wey you fit plan by yourself.
Lastly, these passages dey show say to trust God dey bring great freedom.ย When God dey direct your life, the heavy load of fear and worry dey disappear.ย The soul wey dey humble and trust God no dey allow the troubles of life throw am here and there.ย Instead, the humble soul wey trust God dey always get peace, no matter wetin e face for life.
Chapter 4 – Di Good Character of Showing Mercy
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