The God of the Suddenlies

Petals unfolding at the dawning of a new day.

I took this picture at Nest Chiang Dao, Chiang Mai, Thailand
in January 2010. Click on photo to enlarge.
You will see the folds very clearly. Amazing!




¹⁶ This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,

¹⁷ who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

¹⁸ "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up;
do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland..."

- Isaiah 43:16-19


And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
goodwill toward men."

- Luke 2:13-14


And suddenly there came a sound from heaven
as of a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled all the house
where they were sitting.

- Acts 2:2

After spending thirteen days in Manila, I am back in Bacolod again.

It was truly a profitable two weeks for me.

Apart from conducting two Ancient Paths seminars for two consecutive weekends, I enjoyed the time I spent with my daughter Obedient One and reconnecting with some of my friends there.

Another important accomplishment for me while I was in Manila was the repainting project of the exterior walls of our house that our maid and I began.


There were also specific messages that God spoke to me.

As I had shared in some of my recent posts, our islands have been experiencing a severe dry spell the past months.

With the heat reaching 42 degrees on some days, something that rarely happens here, some towns in our province have asked to be put under a state of calamity. It has been reported that agricultural loss due to damaged crops and farm animal deaths now amount to millions of pesos.

And I have sensed the dryness not only in the spiritual realm around me, but within my own heart as well.

Send down the rain of your presence and your favor, dear God... I have cried out to God on several occasions.

My birthday is just a few days away. And somehow I sense a stirring deep inside, some kind of a momentum...that something is in motion... and I am about to be propelled into a higher level of my life.

Last week, on my way to the church where the two day Ancient Paths seminar was going to be held, I was having a private conversation with the Lord.

The year 2009 for me had been twelve full months of adjusting to the many new roles I was in.

I was a new widow, a new mother in law, a new grandmother.

My sister in law had also offered me a position at the university, and for that I needed to pursue higher education.

Because I was traveling so often the past year, I never was in my Bacolod home long enough to really focus on the things that I wanted to finish.

Living out of a suitcase seems to be the new normal for me.


As I looked out the window of the car I was riding, I saw people on their way to work. Men and women in corporate attires driving the latest models, obviously on their way to their workplaces where deals were waiting to be closed, and transactions ready to be finalized.


What about me, dear Father? What am I becoming?

If I want something to happen, should I not be preparing for it already?

Am I on the right track, Lord?

I don't really want to keep on talking about my husband's death, but somehow, that is where it all started. When someone who has been used to having a strong pillar to lean on, and a guiding light to follow suddenly finds herself alone and making major decisions alone...

On most days I don't really feel like I'm lost, or struggling, or fumbling in the dark.

No, it has not been like that at all.

These past months there have been remarkable moments of peace...strength... joy....hope.

Knowing beyond a shadow of doubt that God is very close, and keeping watch over me.



But it was one of those days when the clouds were grey, the future seemed so uncertain. I felt like I was in a tunnel, and I needed to know if I was going in the right direction.

What about me, Lord? Am I going the right way? I asked my heavenly Father again.


Then a gentle voice spoke: I am the God of the suddenlies.

A familiar voice, but it really took me by surprise. Probably because I wasn't really expecting God to say anything to me. I actually believed that my questions, my doubts, would eventually fade, that the light would once again shine... and the clouds would clear up.

There was a whole team waiting to be trained, and a group of participants expecting to receive their breakthroughs. I would somehow manage to say the right words, and at the end of the day, I knew everything would have turned out beautifully.

That was what I thought.

Because that is what usually happens. Even when there is no earthshaking revelation, things do turn out well. People do get healed. Clutter is removed, and things fall into place. Issues are resolved, forgiveness is released. There is a sense of order being restored.

Underneath it all, there was really a sense of excitement in my heart. I believed that it was not going to be just another day of ministry.


I just wasn't prepared for God to speak so specifically!

I am the God of the suddenlies, do you understand what that means?

Of course I knew what it meant.

Burning bush.

Red Sea.

Water from the rock.

Jordan River.

Tongues of fire.


Things happening without precedent, without warning. Suddenly, there is light. Suddenly, there is life. God speaks things into being, and they come into existence.


I am the God Who makes all things new, do you understand what that means?

Again, I knew what it meant.

It meant that I was never to rely on previous experiences, expecting things to happen the same way as before. Because God wanted me to depend on Him alone, never on myself.

Ministry skills acquired through the years were needed, but past victories had to be placed under the cross. My cup had to be emptied, ready to be filled anew...

Even hurts and offenses had to be poured out at His feet, never to be accumulated, piled up and rehearsed.

God isn't in the recycling business, He is into creating, and re-creating... calling forth things that are not, as though they were!

I understood what He was saying. He wanted me to know trust at a deeper level. Learning to wait for Him to act. Offering to Him a fresh heart, an empty cup.

Just because something is happening suddenly doesn't mean He hasn't thought it out. In fact, God has it all prepared, and He has it all planned out.

Then there will be a manifestation...a breakthrough...a revelation.


And God is looking for those who are prepared to obey, and to listen to His voice, and to walk with Him down a different road.

God is building sensitivity in those who are willing to learn to do it His way.

Feel His touch. Hear His voice. See what He sees...not as the rest of the world sees.

We are entering the season of the suddenlies...and when the cloud moves, God wants to know that we are ready to move with Him.

God is pouring new wine, and He will pour them only into new wineskins that are still soft and willing to be stretched.

Behold I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?

Do not let it catch you by surprise.

Look at your life from My perspective...for you have not passed this way before.


I was not prepared for what God spoke to me that day, but I needed to hear what He said.


I love how Russel Durose puts it:

The “suddenlies” of God are wonderful.

They come with promise, that is, we are assured of God’s faithfulness, but we are never prepared for the WAY God will do it! (emphasis mine)

It was good to be back home. Worshiper and Chosen One picked me up at the airport, then the three of us had lunch at Cafe 1925, a quaint roadside restaurant in Silay City.

But somehow I feel that it won't be long before I embark on another assignment again!

This afternoon, for the first time in many months, there was a sudden heavy downpour in our city. There was a surge of joy in my heart as I listened to the sound of badly needed rain!


I firmly believe we are living in the generation of the return of Christ, and yes, we all need to be prepared for the season of rapid change.


Here are a few pictures taken over the past few days:

The ministry team for the March 11-12 Ancient Paths
Pearlie, Sheryll, Rosinni, Ruby, William and me
Manila, March 11

Lunch at Circles at the Shang, Makati with our friend Gigi
March 12


Lunch at the Thai Kitchen with my cousins Noly and Nora from Canada.
The last time I saw them was on their wedding day in 1975.
March 13

Lunch at Cyma Greek Taverna with my friends Tina and Rosemarie
March 17

We visited and prayed for our friend Donna who was in hospital for severe abdominal pain
March 17

Enjoying my time with my daughter, and her mini schnauzer, George

My friends Pastor Joey and Ut at whose house we stayed during the days of the seminar
March 20

The ministry team for the March 19-20 Ancient Paths
March 20

The participants of the Ancient Paths at Alabang New Life Christian Center
March 20

Greek yogurt after a sumptuous lunch for an early celebration
of my birthday together with my daughter Obedient One
March 21

Back in Bacolod City, with my new daughter in law Chosen One
at Cafe 1925 this lunch,
after they picked me up from the airport.
photo was taken by Worshiper
March 24