For ten years, I have been believing to attend Sydney Hillsong Conference in Australia.  It has always been my desire but until the right time came and the time is this year, it was just put in the memory bank of my dreamlist.   But the confidence that I had in my heart is that when we pray He hears us and when He hears us, that means an answer in on the way.  We just don’t know how and when, but all we need to do is to hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering for He Who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

God is God and only He knows the very reason why He chose 2018 to be the year of manifestation.  I fully trust Him that whatever I will be receiving from this conference is a perfect fit to what my heart needs.  At the same time, the people whom I have grown relationship with may be ready to receive the One Who called me to steward His presence to.  No one really knows.  But I am overwhelmingly delighted that this year is the year and it has indeed come.

One thing I learned from this ten-year waiting is to enjoy the journey.  He may have not taken me there right when I prayed, but He surely has brought me to numerous places in the process.  There are no delays in His answers.  There is only a PERFECT TIME for it to come to pass.  He is a PERFECT Father Whose best interest is towards us.

Developing patience that results to our character transformation is one of His greatest agendas.  We may think that “NOW” is the best time for us to go when we asked of Him, but His timing is always better.  His thoughts and plans for us are always higher.  Our endurance that develops our strength of character, and character that strengthens our confident hope as we look to the One Who knows all things is in His timetable.  He does not hide the answers FROM us.  He does hide them FOR us.  It is always for own benefit and advancement.

Everything perishes even gold though tested with fire that is seemingly indestructible does, but the genuineness of our faith is more precious than silver.  He is indeed molding us not to lose hope, but to stay steadfast in Him.  His best interest is in our transformation that we get to carry His kingdom within us and be a blessing to those around us who are believing for the fulfillment of their own dreams and visions.  He is teaching us to cling unto Him and be constantly and consistently connected with Jesus.  When our spirits are intertwined with that of the Holy Spirit, it graces us to crucify the lusts of our flesh, our hopelessness.  It moves us up into submission to the mighty power of God inwardly to express, manifest and live our lives glorifying Him outwardly in the midst of the waiting until we get to the point where we no longer live by bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

More so, we get to trust in His Lordship.  We rest on the thought that it is He Who opens the door and paves the way.  It is He Who has already set the provision for us.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I love the word “provision”.  “PRO” is a prefix of priority in space or time having especially a meaning of advancing or projecting forward.  It is means “before”.  “VISION” is an experience of seeing someone or something in a dream.  It is the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom.  For me, when He gives us a vision, the supply according to His glorious riches by Christ Jesus has already been set way beforehand.

His sovereignty in manifesting our dreams and desires is to be highly esteemed.  We are not to force the issue if it is not yet time.  He surely knows what He is doing and we do not.  Humility comes when we allow Him to move according to His plans and purposes in our lives.

In the meantime, we enjoy where we are at, every single day.  We do not put our eyes on the destination, for it deprives us of acknowledging and appreciating what He has given us every step of the way.

Imagine us driving to a destination that is four hours away.  Along the way, there are beautiful mountains, glass-like lakes, fruit-bearing farms, etc.  We are not going to wait to enjoy until the four hours is done.  We celebrate all along the way.  Sometimes we stop to smell the roses or experience the variable tastes of the fruits.  Or maybe stand beholding the beauty of the snow-capped mountains, take a selfie, or go on canoeing on those lakes.  There are ways and means to enjoy.  It may seem a delay in arrival to the destination, but more were accomplished along the way.

As for my ten year journey to Sydney, Australia, He made me stop first to Singapore, Thailand, USA, Canada, Hongkong and Israel.  It did not mean that because He took me somewhere else, He was not going to take me down under.  NO!  The perfect time has not just come until 2018!

In the waiting, He made Himself known to me that I am valuable before His eyes.  His seemingly delayed answers are not to discredit how He sees me.  Instead, He assured me that in due season I will taste and see Sydney, Australia according to His blueprint.

We pray for our will to be enthralled in His love that we can gracefully say, “not my will but yours be done, Lord.”  Our prayer links and connects us to our lovely God, our super-abounding God, our exceedingly multiplying God, our God with boundless possibilities, limitless power and untold resources.  We pray for us to see what He has in store for us each day and the people around us whom He has called us to touch.

We go deeper into the river of our relationship with God until we no longer have any control and submission takes over. It is in the letting go and letting God that the essence of surrender becomes a reality.  It is when our hearts become fully yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  This is when He takes us deeper into the river where our faith is tested if it’s anchored in the truth of Who He truly is and what He can do and is willing to do.

Our weapon is thanksgiving, praise and worship. This is where our minds and hearts get overwhelmed by WHO HE IS. This is where He enthrones Himself and make Himself known to us in the most tangible way as we go through the waiting process.  This is where His secrets are revealed, His thoughts and ways on how to keep our eyes focused on Him Who is the Shepherd of our hearts. This is where we get aligned into His plans and purposes.

Only then IN quietness and confidence we look to Him, trusting Him that He heard us and that we have the petitions that we asked of Him.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You, for upholding us with Your righteous right hand at all times while we are in the journey of waiting for our dreams and desires to be fulfilled.  Thank You, Jesus, that You never stop speaking into our hearts, shepherding us to the places where the green pastures are and allowing us to lie down resting in the truth that You will give us the desires of our hearts in due season.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your presence, the exceeding greatness of Your power at work in us, both to will and to do what You have purposed for us for the glory and praise of Your name.  Amen!