Prayer a prospective or maybe a retrospective.
Prayer can be a strange thing. I pray throughout the day, I tend to start before even getting out of bed, and pray off and on throughout the day. I keep prayer lists and pray for specific things for family and friends, and for prayer requests that get passed along. But I tend to often see result for things I pray for other people and at times it seems like nothing I pray for myself gets answered. Jobs, houses being sold for more than listed, entering ministry and more. I was out of work 3 years with an injury, applied for hundreds of jobs and nothing. Do not get me wrong, I love praying! But here is a story for you. …
A few years ago I was looking for a way to do cardio at home. At the time with 2 kids under 5 and a third on the way to get out and go to a gym was just not feasible. Between my working days, and my wife working evening and weekends we were seldom home together as it was. In the period of about 6 months I mentioned to 5 or 6 people that I was looking for an exercise bike for home, only to have them say they had just got rid of one, given it away, put it at the curb, given to good will … So I though God knows about all of these bikes being disposed of, and he knows I want and need one to help me stay in better shape. So I started praying for one. After 2 years of nothing shared the prayer request last fall a small number of people. After 10 months with nothing I asked some people to consider helping this prayer request come to fruition.
But I need to share something here, 3 years ago when I started praying for a bike I would have taken any bike. But as time when on I found I had some requirements. Concerns about the kids and injury's because there is nowhere in the house they could not get at it. So I emailed a friend and as a joke the subject was "Not for this type of bike have I prayed." I realized not any bike would do with the kids, our limited space and other factors. I soon found I had three criteria for a bike and one I could never have imagined.
This past week I had a friend offer $150 towards the bike. Then he called back the next day and said God said to give $300. So I checked every used bike on Kajiji last night and not one meets the requirements. I found an amazing bike new at Fitness Depot that is recumbent, has no open wheel, meets the third requirement. And it is on sale for $348 down from $498 but quantities are limited because it is on sale for a newer version of the model coming out. The pastor went and put the down payment. There is still a little ways to go. But God has basically answered the prayer from 3 years ago. But he did not answer right away because back then I did not know all the needs, I only saw part of the picture. But God knew the whole picture and if he had answered back then a need now would not have been met. His timing is always perfect.
No some people might say 'you pray about an exercise bike'? people have cancer, the weather this summer, hunger … But God tells us to bring all our concerns to him. He cares about our whole lives. Jesus said "I am come that you might have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10. We are also told "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6. Last year I read a number of books by Mark Batterson he states "The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked." - The Circle Maker Now let's be clear Mark also states "Drawing prayer circles isn't some magic trick to get what you want from God. God is not a genie in a bottle, and your wish is not His command. His command better be your wish.".
God has three answers to prayer, yes, no, and not right now. Too often we settle for too little by giving up and not continuing to push through in prayer. As Mark put's it Keep Circling!
Books by Mark Batterson:
The Circle Maker
The Circle Maker Enhanced eBook Edition
Praying Circles Around Your Children
Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge
The Circle Maker Student Edition: dream big, pray hard, think long
Primal
Soul Print
ID: The True You
In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day
Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God
Chase the Lion Stepping Confidently Into the Unknown
Draw the Circle
Mark Batterson
Zondervan
eISBN 9780310327509
ISBN 9780310327127
In the last month and a half I have read four books by Mark Batterson, and I have read each of the books twice. That speaks to the power of these books. But to be honest, this one might be the most powerful one yet and most likely to change your life and maybe even help to change the world. It all started when a friend recommended reading Praying Circles Around Your Children which was being offered for free in ebook format at the time. I started reading and only really stopped to pray for my kids. Then I got an advanced readers copy of The Circle Maker Student Edition: dream big, pray hard, think long and again I was blown away. Then I read this and the original The Circle Maker at the same time. I was flipping back and forth. Now I know this book is designed to be read over 40 days and used as a tool to spark praying and thinking differently, but I could not put it down. I am now half way through a second time, only reading a day at a time as it was designed.
This book is amazing; it will change your relationship with God, challenge your prayer habits and help shape new patterns for both prayer and devotional time. In the Introduction Mark states "If you want God to do something new in you, you cannot keep doing the same old thing. You have to do something different. And if you do, God will create new capacities within you. There will be new gifts and new revelations. But you've got to pray the price. You'll get out of this what you put into it." Then on day 26 he states: "If you want God to do something new in your life, you cannot keep doing the same old thing. My advice is simple: do something different. And you'll see what a difference it makes!" And again on day 28 "If you want God to do something new, you cannot keep doing the same old thing." This book will help break you from the habit of same old same old. The Psalmist in Psalm 51:12 declares: "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." This book will rekindle your prayer life! Give it a try - you have nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain.
"In a moment of revelation, the circle maker realized that praying is planting. Each prayer is like a seed that gets planted in the ground. It disappears for a season, but it eventually bears fruit that blesses future generations. In fact, our prayers bear fruit forever."
So pick up this book and pray through the forty days. Plant new seeds and keep pray hard and thinking long!
Books by Mark Batterson:
The Circle Maker
The Circle Maker Enhanced eBook Edition
Praying Circles Around Your Children
Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge
The Circle Maker Student Edition: dream big, pray hard, think long
The Circle Maker for Kids
Be A Circle Maker
All In
All In Student Edition
Going All In
Praying Circles Around The Lives of Your Children
Jack Staples and the Ring of Time (With Joel Clark)
Primal
Soul Print
ID: The True You
In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day
Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God
Chase the Lion Stepping Confidently Into the Unknown
The Circle Maker
Enhanced eBook Edition
dream big, pray hard, think long
Mark Batterson
Zondervan
ASIN B0061MBRX0
ISBN 9780310330738
I must admit I read at the same time The Circle Maker and The Circle Maker Enhanced eBook Edition. I went back and forth reading a chapter in the regular and then the enhanced edition, basically reading each chapter twice back to back. I think that had an impact on how much the book has had a profound effect on my prayer life. You can read my review of the regular edition here. I first read Praying Circles Around Your Children and then The Circle Maker Student Edition: dream big, pray hard, think long I finally circled back to read this one. In under a week I read the book and the enhanced eBook edition with audio and video. Having watched part of the video series Curriculum Kit most of the video enhancements look like they come directly from that series. But The extra photos , images, links and articles were amazing. But first to the book itself!
"Drawing prayer circles isn't some magic trick to get what you want from God. God is not a genie in a bottle, and your wish is not His command. His command better be your wish."
"Drawing prayer circles starts with discerning what God wants, what God wills. And until His sovereign will becomes your sanctified wish, your prayer life will be unplugged from its power supply. Sure, you can apply some of the principles you learn in The Circle Maker, and they may help you get what you want, but getting what you want isn't the goal; the goal is glorifying God by drawing circles around the promises, miracles, and dreams He wants for you. God has determined that certain expressions of His power will only be exercised in response to prayer."
"The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked."
"Well-developed faith results in well-defined prayers, and well-defined prayers result in a well-lived life."
"You are only one defining decision away from a totally different life. One defining decision can change your trajectory and put you on a new path toward the Promised Land. One defining decision can totally change the forecast of your life. And it's those defining decisions that become the defining moments of our lives."
I really enjoyed the enhanced version if you have the Kindle application on an iOS device or a color kindle I highly recommend it. This book has the potential to drastically change your prayer life and through that the lives of those you know and even generations yet to come. Give it a try!
Books by Mark Batterson:
The Circle Maker
The Circle Maker Enhanced eBook Edition
Praying Circles Around Your Children
Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge
The Circle Maker Student Edition: dream big, pray hard, think long
The Circle Maker for Kids
Be A Circle Maker
All In
All In Student Edition
Going All In
Praying Circles Around The Lives of Your Children
Jack Staples and the Ring of Time (With Joel Clark)
Primal
Soul Print
ID: The True You
In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day
Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God
Chase the Lion Stepping Confidently Into the Unknown
The Circle Maker
dream big, pray hard, think long
Mark Batterson
Zondervan
eISBN 9780310330738
ISBN 9780310330738
Very few authors have grabbed my attention and focus from a spiritual perspective as Mark Batterson has. The last authors who captivated me to this extent were John Eldredge or Henri Nouwen. I have been reading everything by Batterson I could get my hands on. But to be honest, I was weary of reading this book. It has so much hype, and it is 'the book' to read in some Christian circles currently. But after reading Praying Circles Around Your Children and The Circle Maker Student Edition: dream big, pray hard, think long I finally circled back to read this one. In under a week I read the book and the enhanced eBook edition with audio and video. I am currently reading through for the third time.
I did not start highlighting this book until my third run through. So some of the passages that have really grabbed my attention are:
"Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. God isn't offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren't impossible to you, they are insulting to God."
"The greatest moments in life are the miraculous moments when human impotence and divine omnipotence intersect - and they intersect when we draw a circle around the impossible situations in our lives and invite God to intervene."
"It is absolutely imperative at the outset that you come to terms with this simple yet life-changing truth: God is for you. If you don't believe that, then you'll pray small timid prayers; if you do believe it, then you'll pray big audacious prayers."
"Drawing prayer circles isn't some magic trick to get what you want from God. God is not a genie in a bottle, and your wish is not His command. His command better be your wish."
"Drawing prayer circles starts with discerning what God wants, what God wills. And until His sovereign will becomes your sanctified wish, your prayer life will be unplugged from its power supply. Sure, you can apply some of the principles you learn in The Circle Maker, and they may help you get what you want, but getting what you want isn't the goal; the goal is glorifying God by drawing circles around the promises, miracles, and dreams He wants for you. God has determined that certain expressions of His power will only be exercised in response to prayer."
"The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked."
"We pray out of our ignorance, but God answers out of His omniscience. We pray out of our impotence, but God answers out of His omnipotence. God has the ability to answer the prayers we should have prayed but lacked the knowledge or ability to even ask."
"Well-developed faith results in well-defined prayers, and well-defined prayers result in a well-lived life."
"You are only one defining decision away from a totally different life. One defining decision can change your trajectory and put you on a new path toward the Promised Land. One defining decision can totally change the forecast of your life. And it's those defining decisions that become the defining moments of our lives."
So what will be your defining moments? Will you take the risk and pick up this book and learn something new about God? Will you allow scriptures to be opened up to you? Will you become a prayer warrior? This book has tools that could change your life, change the course of your life and through your prayers, generations to come! I personally have found that since starting to read Batterson's books a few months back, I pray far more often, far more regularly and get prompted by the Holy Spirit for praying specific things for specific people on a much more regular basis. I once read that 'reading books can be dangerous' - this is one of those books. I do not believe anyone can read this book with an open heart and ears to listen to the Spirit and not come away changed. Are you ready to begin the adventure?
Books by Mark Batterson:
The Circle Maker
The Circle Maker Enhanced eBook Edition
Praying Circles Around Your Children
Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge
The Circle Maker Student Edition: dream big, pray hard, think long
The Circle Maker for Kids
Be A Circle Maker
All In
All In Student Edition
Going All In
Praying Circles Around The Lives of Your Children
Jack Staples and the Ring of Time (With Joel Clark)
Primal
Soul Print
ID: The True You
In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day
Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God
Chase the Lion Stepping Confidently Into the Unknown
