When God gives you a promise or a vision for your life, it’s like a seed; it needs time to take root before it can bear fruit. It’s like the birth of a baby. First the seed, then the pregnancy, then the development within the womb, and finally the day of delivery. And what do the parents do during this time? Prepare! They get ready for the challenges and responsibilities of parenthood. You may think you’re ready, but God knows when you’re ready. Though he had already been anointed king, David had to wait seven years until God removed Saul from the throne. And during those years he learned valuable lessons. Here is one of them: ‘Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep travelling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honour you with every blessing’ (v. 34 TLB). You must learn the difference between what you can do and what God can do. Fools rush in! If you don’t want to risk delaying the fulfilment of God’s plan for your life, don’t get ahead of Him. ‘The vision is…for an appointed time…though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come’ (Habakkuk 2:3 KJV). Everything God does is by appointment. And an appointment is simply an event that has already been set. God has scheduled a time for bringing to pass two things in your life: His promises and your vision. And there is great peace in knowing that nothing the enemy does can pre-empt these two things. So, when you grow impatient, remind yourself, ‘My life can’t end without this happening. God said it, and He will do it!’