Draw Near - Trust In His Timing

How do we step into a new year without rushing ahead or falling behind?

This message explores the importance of drawing near to God and trusting His timing as we begin a new season. Through biblical insight and personal testimony, we’re reminded that alignment with God’s presence brings clarity, rest, and fruitfulness — even in uncertain or challenging seasons. A powerful encouragement to start the year surrendered, patient, and confident that God will make room at the right time.

Transcript

Happy new year.

Are we excited to be in church, Most importantly, in the presence of God. Well, It's a joy. First Sunday of 2026, and we're here. And the fact that you're here means you made it. And I think this is a place to give God praise.

So as John said, one church, two locations, one mission. And before I proceed, let's share a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your goodness. We thank you for your mercies. Thank you that God.

We are in the new year all because of your mercies. Oh God. And so we do not take it for granted. I thank you for today. Thank you for the new series.

I pray God Almighty for everyone that is listening and those that will listen subsequently to this message. I pray that, Lord, you will bring illumination. I pray God Almighty that you will empower someone. I pray somebody will be encouraged. I pray that somebody will find, will feel the warmth of your love and care.

I pray someone will come into salvation. I pray the Lord you have your way at the end of it all. In Jesus name, amen. And so, as we started a new year, personally, I think every year of us at the beginning of the year officers the opportunity to start again. New beginnings.

Scripture says, don't consider the things of old. Remember not the former things. For God will do a new thing. And it shall spring forth, shall you not know it. I will make a way in the wilderness.

I will cause rivers to flow in a desert place. So every time we stand, you know, in a new month, it is the opportunity for us to start afresh. New beginnings. But for us to go forward, we need to take a retrospective look at what God has done. And so, as I was thinking about it, the scripture, Psalm 103 came to mind.

And it says that Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul. And forget not his benefits. What benefits?

He who forgives our iniquities, our sins. He will heal our diseases. He who redeems our life from destruction. And not only that, he crowns us with his loving kindness and his tender mercies. And he also satisfies our mouth with good things that our youth is renewed.

And when we look at our word blessed, it comes from the Greek word eulogio. It is from that word that we have the English word eulogize or eulogy, which means to speak well of someone. And so what the writer is saying is that this is a moment for us to speak well of what? Speak well of God on the basis of God's character on the basis of his faithfulness, his mercies that have kept us day in and day out and brought us into 2026. So we begin the new year with a heart of gratitude.

And what better time to start this new series? Draw near. I believe that it's a clarion call for you and I to shift our focus off our plans. There's nothing wrong with having plans, nothing wrong with having objectives. But at the beginning, and to say, God, I surrender to you.

I bring my all to you. And for me, my assignment today is to speak to you about trusting in God's timing. Trusting God's timing. When I thought about it, my mind went to a book I read in the summertime. And this book is a biography of a gentleman that made such an impact in this nation, but not only in this nation, but, you know, his impact was further across the globe.

And so it. In the 18th century, the longitude problem was one of the thorniest scientific issues. And they were trying to figure out how to solve that problem. As a matter of fact, many seafarers, as they left land, once they lost sight of land, would get lost because they didn't have what it took, no device to be able to calculate the longitude. And so thousands of lives were lost.

Many ships ran aground, many lives were lost. The nations, the fortunes, the growing fortunes of a nation hang in the balance. People's lives, you know, also hang in the balance as well. And this became a very complicated issue, became a national issue, much to the extent that Parliament offered a King's ransom of £20,000. Now, £20,000 in the 18th century, let alone £20,000 in 2026.

If you give me £20,000, I'll show you what I'll do with it. You might not be able to recognize me after a few months, but in the 18th century, 20,000 pounds. That tells you how serious the matter was at the time for anyone who could find a resolution or a solution to this conundrum. And of course, in those were the days, the great age of exploration. And so people needed to be able to find a way to solve this problem.

Now, one man, in stark contrast, he dared to imagine a man by the name John Harrison, he dared to imagine that it was possible to solve this problem. And so he dedicated about 40 years of life, as a matter of fact, his whole lifetime when he came into that assignment, was dedicated to solving this problem. He got to the place where he got the clock that could give the right timing for when seafarers were at sea and he made a massive difference. And as I thought about the story, the biography of John Harrison, I was amazed by the revelation, the insight, the principles it communicated to me in that as we've begun the year, timing is important, just as timing was important to the seafarers. And if they missed the timing, the ship ran aground or lives were lost subsequently.

As we embark on the new year, it's important that we stay in synchrony with the timing of God. We can't go ahead of God, we can't be behind God. We got to be in synchrony with God and thank God. This year we've embarked on studying or reading the Bible every single day. And I believe that as we take steps in reading God's Word every day, God orders our steps.

So as we look at this year, the timing of God is crucial. I believe that as we draw near, we begin to discover more of what God has for us. In the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, from verse 19 to 22, it says, Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence that to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. And I like the way James put it, in James, chapter four, verse eight, he says, draw near to God and he will draw near to you. That is so reassuring.

What a beautiful way to start the year. He said, draw near to God and he will draw near to you. So, folks, this is a season for us to get close to God. This is a season to rely on the one who, According to Ephesians 3:20, who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, far more than we thought or imagined. This is the time to draw near.

And drawing near is not a physical thing, it's a heart thing. It's something to do with the posture of your heart. As we heard earlier on, as they were leading us in worship, Vanessa encouraged us in the Word about, you know, renting our heart in regards to fasting and seeking God's face. And God is not so much into how we look or our appearance. He's so much into the posture of our hearts.

And so this is a great opportunity to remind us that you and I, by virtue of the blood of Jesus, have confidence to draw nearer to God. It doesn't matter where you are. What I mean by that is whether you are, you know, in terms of the vicissitudes of life, whether you are in a place, metaphorically speaking, on the mountaintops, everything is going well for you, or whether you are in the valley and things are challenging. You can see God. It doesn't matter how you feel, what is coming against you.

The most important thing is to see God with all our hearts. And so as we see God, I am rest assured that God goes with us. Because when we see God, his presence is made real to us. He said, seek me or draw near to me, and I will draw near to you. And so as we draw near to God, his presence is felt.

His presence guides us. We dwell under the canopy of his presence and his protection. And in Exodus 33:15, the Lord replied, this is to Moses in the conversation. He said, my presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. Now this is a moment to think, to pause, to reflect.

My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. And as I thought about it, where God has not sent you, where God has not positioned you, what God's hand is not in when you get in there or when you start something, without the presence of God, you find no rest. Because God will be with you in the place where he has purpose for you to be. And that place could be your finances, your health, your relationships. It could be your ministry, it could be your career, it could be your family.

It's key that we seek the presence of God. And so Moses said to him in that same chapter, that same verse, if your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

When God goes with us, his promises also are ones. In fact, we can rely on his promises when God goes with us. In Second Corinthians 1:20, he said, for all the promises of God have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding yes. And through Christ, our Amen, which means yes, ascends to God for his glory. Another verse, he says that you know in Christ, the promises of God in Christ are yes and Amen.

No two ways about it. It's yes and amen. It means that God's promises will come to pass. What is spoken about you, your spouse, your children, your health, your ministry, your career, it will come to pass. Psalm 89, 34, it says, My covenant I will not break nor alter anywhere that goes out of my mouth.

So God is a covenant keeping God. When God goes with us, it is by way of invitation. Isaiah 55:6 it says, Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. So he's opened the door for us to come and seek him.

And then of course, to under get all this principles I've just shared with you. When we see God, when we draw near, we align ourselves with his timing. In Psalm 102:13, he said, you will arise and have mercy on Zion. You can put your name there, he said, for the set time. For the time to favor her.

Yes, the set time has come. When is the set time? Nothing can be taken from it, nothing can be added to it. What God has said he would do, he would do. No man can change it.

No system can change it. No principality can shift it, no devil can alter it. That's why you have a destiny in God that cannot be truncated. That's why your children have a future in God that cannot be intercepted. Because that's what God has said concerning your children.

And he will do it. Amen. Now I want us to go to a story in the Bible about one of the patriarchs, Isaac. And we read we're going to jump into Genesis chapter 26 from verse 17 to 22. But before that, let me give us the pretext so that we can put everything into context.

In Genesis, chapter 26, verse 1, the Scripture says that there was a famine in the land. The famine besides the time of Abraham, the father of Isaac. And Isaac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, in Gerar. And there the Lord appeared to him. And when the Lord appeared to him, he said, isaac, do not go down to Egypt.

Dwell in the land that I will tell you to dwell in. Gerar. Why? Because when you dwell in the land I tell you to, I will be with you. Remember the presence of God.

I will be with you. Not only that, I will bless you. I will bless your children from generation to generation. That's generational blessing, he said. Not only that, he said, I will perform the oath, the covenant which I swore to your father Abraham.

More to that, I will multiply your seed. And through your seed, your children, through posterity from you, the nations of the earth shall be blessed. He said, why? Because your father Abraham obeyed me. He he obeyed my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws.

He obeyed me. And so the scripture says in Genesis 26:6, Isaac dwelt in Gerar. Now there's a tension here. So God said, don't go to Egypt dwelling Gerar.

Gera was the semi arid and smaller state in comparison to Egypt. Gera didn't have the potential. When you compared it to Egypt, Egypt was the more powerful, with more. You know, the economy of Egypt was doing well. Most to it.

Egypt was located near the Nile, and so it was fertile. But God said, don't go to that place. Don't go to Egypt, but dwell in Gerar. Now, this is very personal to me. Why do I say that?

I'd say about 13 years into living in this city. So by God's grace, this year will be 22 years living in Milton Keynes. But on the 13th year, my family and I went through a difficult time, financially speaking. So I thought the best thing for us to do is to sell our house, move up north and start all over again. So I went to see the estate agent.

We did everything. They came, took the shots, everything they do. One day they put the signage there for sale. And then it dawned on me that this thing is real.

Anyway, in the process of time, that thing that I wanted to do by selling the house and moving my family up north, it didn't materialize. In fact, it failed. It crashed. Why? Because I was out of sync with God.

I was trying to do my own thing. And a friend of mine said to me, if I were in your shoes, I would stand and face your Goliath. I'm like, that's not what I want to hear. Because what I want to hear is the easy way out. Now, in that place where I was struggling, striving is when I came to a place of surrender.

And I said, God, if this is the city you want me and my family to dwell, then show me, lead me. So I surrendered everything to God. And with time, step by step, we began to see the faithfulness of God, the goodness of God, the message of God. That's why, by the grace of God, I'm still standing here in front of you.

So we see the story in Genesis 26:6, he says, and Isaac dwelt in Gerar. Now in verse 17, jump with me to verse 17 to 22. It says, he departed from there and preached his tent in the valley of Gerar and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of the water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father. For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham.

He called them by the names which his father had called them. Also Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found a well of running water there. But the headsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's headsmen, saying, the water is ours. So he Called the name of the well Isaac because they quarreled with him. Then they dug another well and they quarreled over that one also.

So he called it Sitna. And he moved from there and dug another well and did not quarrel over it. So he called it Rehoboth. Because for now, Pay attention please. For now the Lord has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land.

One of the most difficult things to do is when you start something, it fails and you're going to do it again. And then he fails again. Now this is the situation of Isaac. First one, they what they contended with him. So he called the place Isaac.

Second one, they opposed him. He called the place Sitna, but said for now he called the place Rehobo because he said, for now, in this timing of God, now God has made room. OH venture. Church 2026 is our year of significant expansion and change. And as a church, as we go forward, as the Lord has made room for you and I, as the Lord has brought expansion, enlargement, it will also translate in every area and every facet of your life.

It is a year of significant change and expansion. That means you will never remain the same way that things will. There will be transformation, there will be progress. The Word of God will come to pass. And the Word became flesh and it was beautiful to behold.

You will see the Word of God manifest. For it says that as the rain comes from the heavens and the snow, and it does not return to it, so that it waters the earth and it gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so is my word that that goes out of my mouth, forth from my mouth, it will never return to me. Void. He said the Word of God will go. He said, when the Word of God is spoken, provision, it comes back with testimony.

When the Word of God is spoken, protection, it comes back with miracles. When the Word of God is spoken with expansion, it comes back with stories of the faithfulness and the message of God. He said, for now the Lord has made room. He has made room for you. All it takes for our eyes to be open.

But it's not going to be easy because we've got to draw near so we can walk with God step by step. If we try to do our own thing, we will be out of sync. But we got to every day. God help me. God show me.

God guide me. The scripture says that the steps of a good man are ordered by God. He said that delight yourself in the Lord and you will fulfill the desires of your heart. The Reason why God will fulfill the desires of your heart is because you delight yourself in Him. You plant yourself in him.

You align yourself in Him. And so every desire that is coming to you is no longer your desire, but is the desire of God. And that's why he will fulfill the desires of your heart. And so as we close, how do we step into 2026? What do we do?

What's the application in this?

How do we move from striving to surrender? First things first. We got to get into a time of prayer, a time of seeking God, a time of digging deep, a time of prayer and fasting. Because as a church in January, we're going to have a time of prayer and fasting, a time to seek God. Hey, if you can fast, ask God for grace.

If you're on medication, you can't fast. Please do something on social media. Get off social media. There is something, what I'm trying to say, there's something you and I can do. What we cannot do is that while we're going forward as a church fasting and, and praying that you are not doing anything.

How can we walk in expansion? How can we walk in change? If this is a clarion call, he's saying, seek me. Draw near as we draw near. So I want to encourage you that we're going into a time of fasting and prayer starting from the 13th of January.

And there will be information later on. You'll be updated the 13th of January. You know, on the 20th of January will be here for prayer. 13, 20th, 27 for the prayer and worship night. If you've never been to prayer and worship night, I encourage you to be at our prayer and worship night.

So one, pray and fast. Because some mountains will not go except by prayer and fasting. Some cycles will not break except by prayer and fasting. Two, surrender as I did, God, show me take over. And then when you do, rest in God.

Rest in God.

One thing you can also do is you can look up, look back on how God's timing has proved faithful over the years. Because that's what David said. The God that delivered me from the bear and the lion is able to deliver me from this Goliath. Whatever Goliath you're facing, same God is able to deliver you and I from him. And then finally pray for perspective and patience rather than control.

God, show me reveal direct. Because I found out that God uses waiting as much as he uses answers. And while we're waiting, he's building character. He's strengthening us. He's opening eyes as you're fasting, you're reading the word of God, say, God, give me revelation in your word.

And then you come to a place, you're like, wait a minute, you know, have you ever been a place? Wait a minute. Why is this thing happening every time? Wait a minute. Today I face you with the word of God.

I stand on God's word and I will fight you. No longer will the tares grow with the wheat, with the fruits that God has for me. And so I want to pray with you as I close that God will help us. God will carry us through to help us to be able to draw closer to him. So Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you for a year of significant change and expansion.

Thank you for everyone listening to me. God, I pray you will empower us. God, have your way. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh upon us. Fall afresh upon venture church.

Fall afresh upon. Cancel fall afresh upon every service, oh God, Fall afresh upon venture case. Fall afresh upon venture youth and do a new thing in this city. Do a new thing, oh God, in the families that are represented here. And let your name be glorified in all of it.

For you're able to do exceedingly, abundantly, far more than we thought, think or imagine. In Jesus name, Amen. Amen. Amen. There will be, there will be people to my right hand side after the service.

If you want to come forward for prayer. I want to encourage you to do that. And I want to say to you, go in victory. Go in victory. Because the Lord is with you.

Even if it gets bumpy, the Lord is with you. His presence will go with you and he will give you rest. Stay blessed in Jesus name. Amen.

Sa.