There are other examples. What about Esther? One day she was a young Israelite woman with an uncertain future. The next she was Ahasueras' queen.

One day Jeremiah was just a kid. The next he was a prophet to the nation of Israel.

One day the Jewish people were lost, wondering why the heavens were silent and God no longer spoke to them. The next they were gazing into the eyes of their long-awaited Messiah.

One day the disciples were hiding in an upper room for fear of persecution. The next they were filled with the power of the promised Holy Spirit and eager to preach, teach and work miracles in Jesus' name!

Now think about your own life. Can you point to times when things changed drastically for you--in just a day? Perhaps you graduated from college or had a major career change or bought your first house or gave birth to a child. One day your circumstances could be defined one way, and the next they were totally different.

I know I have plenty of examples like this. One day I was a sinner, the next a saint. One day I was single and the next a married woman. One day I was unaware of my purpose and the next I was walking in destiny.

That's the way it is when God takes control of your life. He gives you a word, a promise, a vision and begins to set into motion all the things that are required to bring it into being. But He doesn't cause it to be fulfilled until just the right moment. He allows you to wait--in order to prepare you and teach you to trust in Him.

The waiting does not negate the validity of His word. "'God is not a man,'" the Bible says, "'that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?'" (Num. 23:19, NKJV).

Sometimes we become impatient because God's timing is not the same as ours. We want Him to do the thing as soon as He speaks it! Or we develop expectations because a particular prophetic word has a time frame attached to it. But we must remember that even the most seasoned prophet "[sees] through a glass darkly" (1 Cor. 13:12, KJV) and may not have God's timing perfectly in view.

There is always a need to test each prophecy you receive. But once you are sure you've heard God's voice, either through someone else or in your own heart, have faith that His promise will be fulfilled--if not today, perhaps tomorrow. Look forward each day to all the good things He has ordained for you (see Ps. 84:11).

Maureen Eha is features editor of Charisma.