Prayer Gifts While You Wait giveaway with Lee Merrill

Today I’m thrilled to introduce my friend, Lee and she is guest posting on praying while you are waiting.  {Who can’t use a little encouragement on that?} Be sure to leave a comment on how God’s grace and timing helped you while waiting for a chance to win one of 3 giveaway books.

Now meet my friend Lee.

Lee Merrill Head Shot 1

A Louisiana magnolia transplanted in the Arizona desert, Lee Merrill is a full-time encourager. Whether she’s teaching students with special needs at her day job or penning uplifting posts on her Prayer Gifts blog at night, Lee is all about helping people thrive and realize their identity in Christ. Lee’s favorite way to encourage is by writing scripture-rich prayers she calls prayer gifts. Her first collection of prayer gifts, Prayer Gifts While You Wait: Grace for as Long as it Takes, is available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle.  Find more at prayergifts.net

Can’t Let This Wait Go to Waste

“He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV).

When I was pregnant with my first son, my mom, sister and two aunts flew to my New Mexico home for a visit. I still remember the medley of excitement and anxiety I felt as their arrival approached. You see, I’m the baby of my family. This was my chance for the family to see me as a grownup instead of their baby girl. In anticipation of their arrival, I put a fat roast in the crock pot with potatoes, carrots and all the fixings.

Well, about that roast. I don’t know what went wrong, but it tasted more like salted shoe leather than tender, juicy beef. Everyone ate it politely. They chewed and chewed and gulped the bites down with iced tea chasers.

Mortified my attempt at non-Hamburger Helper cooking failed, I wanted to destroy the evidence, but Aunt Neda came unhinged as I headed toward the trash with the roast remnants. “Lee! Don’t you let that roast go to waste!” (Say that out loud with your best Southern accent for full effect). I wrapped the door stop—I mean roast—in foil and put it in the fridge. Thankfully, we never revisited the roast, and as soon as my guests left, I threw it out.

I’ve had other ruined roasts over the years, but that first one is the only one I threw out. I now know what my aunt knew back then. There are lots of ways to resurrect a dry roast, including my family’s favorite, Second Day Soup.

At first glance, time spent in God’s waiting room seems like ruined roast—dry, hard-to-swallow and useless. But we can’t let those moments go to waste. We waste them when we flood the silence with whining, wailing and asking why. If God has us in the waiting room, He has a purpose for it. Do you believe it, friend? Do you trust God to make all things beautiful in His wise timing?

Lord,
Waiting doesn’t feel natural. My inner drill sergeant keeps barking, “Move! Move!” My mind says waiting is a waste of time and a sign of weakness. But I hear Your Spirit singing truth to mine.
“My Daughter, I long to be gracious to you. See Me rise to show you compassion. You will be blessed if you’ll wait for me” (Isaiah 30:18).
I know myself, Lord. Left up to me, this season of waiting will be an ugly mess. Use this time to strip away anything in me that quenches Your spirit. Strip away pride and replace it with humility. Uproot insecurity and cultivate God-confidence. Chop down every idol in my heart and make a pure and glorious home for Yourself.
I refuse to let this wait go to waste. I choose to let You do what You need to do, no matter how long it takes. Amen

Now for the giveaway.

prayer book

Now who doesn’t love gifts?  Three lucky winners will win a copy of Lee’s book Prayer Gifts While You Wait: Grace for as Long as it Takes.  Please share your comment on when or how through waiting on God’s timing to answer a prayer you were blessed.

155 Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing this post and these encouraging words on waiting. I am so terrible at waiting – really tries my patience & emotional control. I try, sometimes successfully, and other times a miserable failure. I keep resting (& trying again) in the His unfailing love for me, regardless of a momentary success or failure. I am still becoming!

  2. For many years I prayed for my husband to be broken. I was reading through and praying through power of a praying wife. In the process God changed me as well. Through a series of events he came to the end of himself, and God has changed him and me in many ways.. It’s a huge praise

  3. God is making some big changes in my family, but in His Time. I don’t like waiting, especially when I want something or worrying about an outcome. Sometimes the waiting keeps me awake at night. A good friend of mine said the sleeplessness is just Jesus wanting to spend time with Him. Maybe he makes us wait when he is trying to get our attention. I don’t know if this is what you meant or not. :-)

  4. At 25 years old, I found myself a single mom. My daughter’s father had not been in contact since the day I told him I was pregnant.

    I decided that I wasn’t going to date again until God brought me the man he intended me to be with. I prayed for that man and I prayed for my daughter.

    When my daughter was a year old, we moved from Pennsylvania to Louisiana for me to spend some time (with my father I had just met) and for me to take a job.

    A month after I moved to Louisiana I met the man who is now my husband. He and I have been married almost two years now, My daughter will be 5 this August, and our son just turned 1.

    I look at my little family and I am so thankful that we have we have a great God!

  5. There are some issues I have been praying about for a long time, and sometimes my heart grows weary in well-doing. I need the encouragement to keep on keeping on, so that in due time I may reap the harvest!

  6. As I have looked back over my life I have seen where my lack of waiting and trusting has not gone as I would have planned, I now have learned to stop when I am feeling out of sorts or frustrated and so on and just pray and tell God that what is happening is not in His timing. This is something I share with my daughter as she is a new momma and we both have a personality of just “plowing” ahead, this has not been an easy task but very worthwhile as we learn to lean on Him.

  7. Here is a blog post that I wrote last year in the midst of a heart-shattering event in my life. Wow, how I have had to learn to wait–however, I can’t say I’ve gotten good at it! Things have been slowly improving in the situation, but it’s so hard to wait and trust that God will work all things for good…it’s “one day at a time.”
    http://tymespast.blogspot.com/2013/04/what-faith-can-do.html

    I love your prayer and the Scripture verse: “My Daughter, I long to be gracious to you. See Me rise to show you compassion. You will be blessed if you’ll wait for me” (Isaiah 30:18).

  8. I was in a relationship following my divorce and everything seemed right but then it didn’t. I didn’t know if I should continue in the relationship or end it. I put a hold on the relationship which was really difficult and prayed and waited and waited and prayed. God answered my prayer after all the waiting. He was not the man for me and I felt so relieved to know God’s will. He wanted me to focus on Him and my family that is why things were so difficult I felt that I needed a man to make my life complete but what I really need is God right now. He will bring the right man into my life when the time is right. I am blessed to be able to spend time with my children while i still have the chance they 19 and 16 and will be leaving the nest soon.

  9. I have several books I use to pray while I am waiting…Praying For Boys by McGlothlin, Stormie Omartian’s Praying for family, and Beth Moore-Praying God’s Word.

  10. I had 10 years of waiting. My son was born with a rare genetic disorder. By the time he was 5 yrs. old he had 13 different operations and procedures. The drs. could not figure out what was wrong. He had pneumonia every 2 to 3 months. He had 7 sets of tubes put in during the first 5 years. He kept a sinus infection. After many tests and different drs and hospital stays, we finally received a diagnosis when my son was 10 years old. It was not a pretty diagnosis but one that I would not have been able to handle when he was younger. By the age of 10, we were able to see that my son could live a pretty normal life and could play sports and ride dirt bikes and go camping. He could live as any child could when he was healthy. The condition he has is called Primary Ciliary Dyskenisia. The treatments are very similar to Cystic Fibrosis. The lifespan for PCD is normal. We just have to get him through his sick times. Now, my son is a flourishing 16 year old that just has to do some things differently to help him stay well. He is doing great. I know that God had me to wait for his timing on getting a diagnosis for my son. He was preparing me along the way to accept the diagnosis and to rely upon him for strength. God is good!! He directed us to the right drs and right methods of treatment. Thank you God!! We love you!!

  11. Lee,
    I love the prayer at the end of your post. I copied it to print out because it speaks perfectly to the season I am in right now.

  12. This topic is so actual for me! I am praying for a teaching job, and it is hard to not question God or not wanting to take it under my own hands! But, I can’t wait to see the end of the tunnel to give Him all the glory for building my faith and faith!

  13. It had happened over and over again in my life! But, I am so glad that I waited for a godly husband after so many years as a single mom. It was not easy to wait for God’s best, but oh, how much worth it!

  14. God has blessed me many times when I have remembered to wait on Him. My husband and I did not start dating until I was over 30, but God blessed me greatly for waiting for Matthew. I was in an accident, just under a year ago, and just was released for all of my medical issues from the accident. It has been a LONG road and waiting has been hard. I am now seeing the blessings of the wait. God is good ALWAYS. When we pray His answer may be YES, NO, or WAIT AND SEE WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU. Thank you for this post. It is so encouraging to hear from strong Christian women who have been gifted by God to teach and share God’s grace and encouragement. God Bless

  15. I feel like I have been in a very long season of waiting. But rather than ask why, I am attempting to fully enjoy the current season while still holding hope that the next one is coming … soon, I hope : )

  16. YOur books sounds like you have a gift. This book will help a lot of people. I have not read it yet but I intend to very soon.

  17. The waiting is my time to “be still and know that I am God.” It slows me down and and trust the Father who is in control and has such awesome plans. It allows me to let go and let God. Thank you

  18. I feel I have been waiting on something my whole life (LOL)! I am still waiting for the one I felt I heard the Lord say was coming after the one I picked left me. I feel like Sarah! But, I have made so many wrong choices,I only want His best for me now whether I heard right and he is still coming or I am to walk the rest of this life with Him as my husband all the way. I want All of His plan for me and I say Yes,even in the waiting. I am content with my life now in Him and NEVER want to try and put any man or anything before Him again!

    1. Pam, you sound like you are on the right track! Putting God first is always the way to go. Praying you fully know Christ as the lover of your soul. Lee

  19. As I attended brunch with past Christian coworkers, they helped me realize that by being patient and waiting on God will help me with my discipleship. Through ugly and painful family situations this past year and many nights of prayers, I will be able to give more praise to God. My profession involves me to be an encourager and helper in the healing process, so this has very hard to sit back and watch. This will no longer be my family story but Gods.

  20. I am blessed by this post! I am in this season of waiting on God’s timing. I have not been very successful at it, so I have been blessed by the prayer. I plan to dig into my Bible today and look up Scripture on waiting. My prayer this morning was for the Lord to help me wait. Thank you, Lee!

  21. I am in the season of waiting. I have my own business and waiting for it to prosper to support my family. I am a single parent of four special needs children one of which is my 17 year old daughter. We have been talking about courting and waiting upon the Lord for the man he wants in her life. So She is persistent in sharing her heart, wormhole to hard. So I am waiting on the Lord to touch her heart. I so needed this today. Thank you for sharing.

  22. My daughter is waiting to become pregnant! I will share your beautifully written prayer with her. In His time…..<3

  23. Went thru a painful divorce after 24 yrs–that was 11 yrs ago! My kids went off to college around the same time AND my Mama died AND I had cancer! Wow!!. Now what! It’s hard waiting. One thing I DO know to do is to stick close to the Lord. But the rest…..when Lord when ? will something new come & what about the lonliness in the meantime? I would love to read your book !

    1. Sticking close to Him is definitely the way to go, Doris. My husband left me in late March. I’m trying to navigate this new life I have no desire to have. The loneliness is oppressive, but we just have to burrow deep into His love. Big hugs, Lee

  24. I am in the middle of a season of waiting… We have just moved for my husband to continue in his service to The Lord. I have provided stability for the family and we’ve gotten through the transition fairly smoothly, though not without some bumps in the road. Now, I am ready to see how and where I fit in to this puzzle. It is a struggle. I long to find where I fit, but am struggling greatly because answers seem to be “not here” and it is overwhelming.

    1. Michelle, I pray the Lord helps you find your niche very soon. For now, just snuggle into His arms. That’s always a perfect fit. Blessings to you, Lee

  25. Your roast story made me laugh. I still can’t make a good roast. I live in Asia, I’ve altered my meat, carrots and potatoes into curry.
    I’m not very good at waiting either, but God sure is teaching me about His perfect timing. My family was suppose to move to a new city this summer, but things fell through. So, we are now waiting to see if we move next year or what our future will look like. It’s a rough place especially with kids.

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