God has made everything beautiful for its own time.  He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

I really love this verse in Ecclesiastes.  Here's why.  I believe we often think we are ready for different events and changes in our lives, when actually, we are not.  It seems like God is taking an awfully long time bringing his promises to past.  And in our haste to see these things happen more quickly, some of us pout, some of us worry, some of us loose our patience, some of us try to manipulate situations and circumstances ourselves, some simply decide that God must have changed his mind, and some of us simply quit on God, believing that we are just never going to see it. 

But for those of us that keep the faith and continue to wait upon the Lord, we will finally see those promises come clearly into view.  They will become real and tangible testaments of God's faithfulness.  For example, when God called me to be a minister of the gospel, I had no idea, he meant that he would keep me on the back burner, in training, for another 20 years.  Yes, I said 20 years I waited on this ministry.  I can't even begin to tell you how many times I just wanted to quit, give up, and walk away.  But when God finally told me it was time for me to go forth, I knew then that his timing was perfect.

During those 20 years I grew in grace, wisdom, and knowledge.  I matured emotionally and spiritually and learned to appreciate the gifts that God had placed in others, and how not to think so highly of myself.  I became more humble and patient along the way. And what I mistakenly took as punishment for my initial reaction to the call, I eventually realized was actually preparation for the ministry he wanted me to have in this dispensation of time. 

And when the time was right, God began to open doors all over this planet for me to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And so it was with the writing and publishing of this book.  It was more labor than I could have ever imagined.  There were certainly times when I wanted to give up and walk away from the task.  But God continued to give me the strength, to see it through, and now it's real, it's tangible, and it's just another symbol of his faithfulness in my life. 

So if any of you are wondering, if your labor is in vain.  I urge you to just stop what your doing for a second, and raise your hands toward heaven and make this announcement:  "Father, I trust you completely, therefore my times are in your hands.  I'm not lifting one finger to make the vision you gave me come to past in my own strength.  But what I will do is continue to apply my gifts and talents to the task at hand.  I will do what you have already told me to do, and then I'll do the next thing you tell me to do, and the next thing after that.  I refuse to worry about anything.  And no matter what I see or feel or hear, I know you are faithful and your timing is perfect.  You're rarely early, but you're also never late.  So I will wait on you, knowing that everything is beautiful in its own time!"