The Open Door to Delight

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But the meek shall inherit the earth, 

And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psalm 37:11

2020.

The start of a new decade.

The number alone speaks volumes.

2020 speaks of perfect vision... something we definitely need to safely navigate the turbulent emotional waters we often find ourselves in.

The past years have not been easy ones for me, but this year I want to walk on a different road.

I am so grateful that Abba Father gave me enough grace to end the past year on a positive note. That is one big step in the right direction.

Fear can cripple and demoralize even the most seasoned soldiers, and I now realize how I had allowed fear to hamper my spiritual growth the past few years.

As the year 2019 came to a close, I embraced the truth that this valley I have been in is God's ordained entry point to a new era in my life—the era of hope. (read My Valley of Achor:A Sacred Journey)


Hope, however, is not something that happens overnight.

It requires quite a journey to reach the point of hope.

Hope has to be chosen, deliberately and repeatedly, because the human heart has the predisposition to look at the downside of everything.


Hope is a powerful motivator, an open door to a bright future.

Fear, in stark contrast, is a cul-de-sac. A dead end.

Hope propels us forward, but fear drags us down.

Sadly, I must admit, Camp Fear was where I had been wallowing these past few years.

Hope has been a missing factor in my life.

In my mind I truly believed in Jeremiah 29:11: that God's plans are meant to prosper, not to harm, to give us a hope and a future. But on most days I have secretly feared the worst case scenario.

It was a subtle trap, this wavering to and fro between the camps of hope and fear.  Thankfully, there was enough residue of faith in my tank to sustain me in my ongoing internal battle.

But the fear factor had caused the tank to spring a leak and faith was fast running out.

Faith, they say, is like a muscle. You need to use it, or it atrophies. In short, faith is useless if it is passive.

I believe, help my unbelief. This was my constant plea.

It wasn't my intention to displease God...

But without faith it is impossible to please Him,

for he who comes to God must believe that He is,

and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

-Hebrews 11:6

Obviously something was sorely missing in the spiritual equation of my life.


Thankfully, God cared too much to let me remain in that condition.

And right in my Valley of Achor God showed me the open door of hope.

Even as I write these words, I am blown away by the realization that when I began looking at my life from the perspective of hope, everything suddenly turned bright.


While the enemy dangled a dark hopeless future before my eyes, the Father repeatedly whispered in my ear that there is a far better place waiting for me.

But I wasn't paying attention.

When things go contrary to how we want them to be, when unexpected circumstances shatter our well laid out plans... when our comfort turns to discomfort... it is so easy to buy into the lie of fear, hopelessness and discouragement.

I know that I never stopped believing in God. But little by little, my steps were leading me back into a dark place of slavery.

Hope has to be deliberately chosen...

The writer of the book of Hebrews exhorts us to lay hold of the hope set before us (Hebrews 6:18). Furthermore he says,

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, 

both sure and steadfast,

and which enters the Presence behind the veil...

- Hebrews 6:19

Hope is the anchor that will surely take us to safe harbor as we sail on stormy seas.

Hope is believing the sun is shining brightly behind the clouds.



For being a Jew, Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychotherapist, was imprisoned together with his wife and parents during the Nazi regime. His wife and parents were killed. He himself endured horrific maltreatment at the hands of the Nazis. There was a thin line between him and certain death. But as he writes in one of his books, at the lowest point of his life in the concentration camps, he saw himself not as a hopeless prisoner but as a distinguished professor behind a podium delivering a lecture on what it means to be truly free. That was the turning point.

He writes,

... everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms— to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances...."

One of his famous lines: Those who have a 'why' to live can bear with any 'how.'

Frankl survived years of harsh treatment in the camps because he had a 'why' to keep on living.

This is a perfect example of keeping hope alive in the midst of seemingly "hopeless" circumstances.


One tangible way by which Abba Father rekindled my hope was through the birth of my sixth grandchild just a few days before the end of 2019.

It was in mid-May when my second son announced that they had a third child due to be born in early January 2020.

Honestly, I had mixed feelings when I received the news. Though I was happy at the thought of having another baby in the family, I was also concerned that times are changing and bringing up another child was a huge responsibility.

The pregnancy was a difficult one. Chosen One, my daughter-in-law, had to be on complete bed rest during her third trimester. She wasn't allowed to go up the stairs to their bedroom, so the living room sofa became her bed. She gave instructions for the running of her household from there. In November, she had to have a special diet to help the baby in her womb gain more weight. Chosen One was hospitalized and given medication to prevent a possible premature birth. She also developed gestational diabetes and had to watch her blood glucose levels.

I spent many hours praying for the mother and the baby.

Christmas Eve was a joyful event for our family, and our Christmas family picture was around their living room sofa with Chosen One reclining on it.

Yet, at the back of my mind were fervent prayers for the safe delivery of my sixth grandchild.

Two days after Christmas, a healthy baby boy weighing 5 pounds and 13 ounces was born by C-Section. He had indeed gained the extra pounds we prayed for!

On December 30, one day before the end of the year, Chosen One and her baby were home.

I admire and appreciate the dedication of my son Worshiper to his wife and sons. I knew he was tired from all the burdens he had to carry, but he never wavered in his commitment. The two older boys had gotten sick, and remained unwell for quite a while, so I stayed with them for a few days to help out. Chosen One's mother also arrived from Manila on New Year's Day to be with her daughter.

I can't hold back the tears when thanking Abba Father for the precious blessing of life He has given our family.

It did something to my heart, the arrival of this baby, whom I have named He Hears God's Voice.

Abba Father rekindled the dying embers of hope in my heart, and spoke a powerful message that indeed, the era of hope has begun in my life... in my family.

My sacred journey is taking a different turn this year.  I sense my steps are small but certain, and almost buoyant. There is a song of gladness in my heart.

Quietly, but surely, hope has been reborn.

I am still learning the new melody that I hear the Father singing in my heart. In time I will master it.

What amazes me is the sense of warmth and delight where there once was uncertainty and doubt.

When I opened the door of hope, Delight entered. Not forcing her way in, but making her presence felt, promising to bring healing to the wounded areas of my soul where fear had taken up residence.

Fear is unforgiving. It is like an invasive root system that takes over your entire garden.

God saved me just in time.

I couldn't have done it on my own. Once again, Abba has reached out to rescue me.

But to make myself clear, it isn't really all about me. It is about God and His ways that are beyond our human understanding. He sends a new baby into our lives because He has it all planned out from the beginning.

I welcome my new grandson into my life! His name Samuel Timothy is just too perfect.

Samuel means, "God has heard." Timothy means, "Honor to God." Indeed, God has heard our prayers for this little one. And my ongoing prayer for him as he grows up is that he will bring honor to God alone.

I declare that this little boy whom I have also named He Hears God's Voice will live up to the job description and divine purpose embodied in his name.

And so as this new year begins, I begin walking on a different road, with Hope and Delight as my traveling companions.


Thank You Abba Father for reaching down to save me from the snare I had unknowingly walked into.

Thank You for the tangible gift of new life you gave to restore hope and delight to my heart. 

The timing of his birth is not a mistake, as You are the One Who guided his parents to choose the day for him to be born. How amazing it is to know that one week longer in the womb would have proven dangerous for his mother... So thank You Abba for guiding them to make the right choice.

You have heard our fervent prayers for a safe delivery and you granted it. 

You hold his life in Your hands, and I thank You for Your beautiful plan for his life!


These are my songs for the new year:

My Delight
(by Andy Park)

Father, You are my portion in this life
And You are my hope and my delight
And I love You, Yes I love You,
Lord I love You, my delight

Jesus, You are my treasure in this life
And you are so pure and so kind
And I love You, Yes I love You,
Lord I love You, my delight

Spirit, You are my comfort in this life
And I need Your presence day and night
And I love You, Yes I love You,
Lord I love You, my delight

Beyond the Open Door

In the things familiar we find security
Resisting all the changes that days and years can bring,
When God decides to lead you through an open door
Inviting you to walk in realms you've never walked before.
Beyond the open door is a new and fresh anointing,
Hear the Spirit calling you to go.
Walk on through the door for the Lord will go before you
Into a greater power you've never known before.

Hear the spirit calling to wake the living dead,
To reach the huddled masses who cry out for living bread.
Arise oh mighty army, take up thy shield and sword
For the Father lifts His golden lamp beside the open door.

Beyond the open door is a new and fresh anointing,
Hear the Spirit calling you to go.
Walk on through the door for the Lord will go before you
Into a greater power you've never known.
Beyond the open door is a new and fresh anointing,
Hear the Spirit calling you to go.
Walk on through the door for the Lord will go before you
Into a greater power you've never known . . .

Where He leads me, I will follow
Where He leads me, I will follow
And where He leads me, I will follow
Into a greater power we've never known before,
Beyond the open door.