Mark Batterson is one of my favorite authors. I’ve never met him, but his writing speaks to my soul. I’ve been listening to him preach via podcast and reading his books for years. He writes in a way that connects with me, that fills my heart with faith and stirs me to action. His latest book is The Circle Maker. It’s a book aimed at re-defining prayer, and it’s a book worthy of your time and investment.
I’ll be blogging about each section this week, starting with the intro tonight. Let me give you a couple of highlights, then I’ll try to capture what I believe God is saying to me.
If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God. Why? Because they don’t require divine intervention. (p 13) I’ve heard this idea before, many times from my pastor, Dan Nold. Bold prayers stem from big dreams, and big dreams must come from God.
The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked. (p 17)
Most of us don’t get what we want simply because we don’t know what we want. We’ve never written down a list of life goals. We’ve never defined success for ourselves. And our dreams are as nebulous as cumulus clouds. (p 22)
If faith is being sure of what we hope for, then being unsure of what we hope for is the antithesis of faith, isn’t it? (p 23)
…primary problem: Most of us don’t get what we want because we don’t know what we want. Here’s our secondary problem: Most of us don’t get what we want because we quit circling. (p 33)
We should praise God for disappointment because it drives us to our knees. (p 35)
Before you write this off as some “name it, claim it” scheme, let me remind you that God cannot be bribed or blackmailed. God doesn’t do miracles to satisfy our selfish whims. God does miracles for one reason and one reason alone: to spell His glory. We just happen to be the beneficiaries. (p 38)
Application: This intro touched a nerve with me. As I’ve mentioned, I have been in a season of unrest, unhappy with myself and unsettled in my heart. There are SO MANY great things going on in my life, but I’m not sure that I have a dream to circle. I have a general sense of what God wants me to do with my life, what kind of man I’m supposed to be. Those are good. In fact, those are great things to know, to have nailed down. But for 20 years my dream involved youth ministry, and now that’s changed.
Simply put, I don’t know what I want.
I need to take some time away to pray, to hear God speak, to allow God to show me what his dream is for me. I don’t want to be famous, don’t want to be recognized, don’t want riches or a big house or expensive toys. But if I don’t come to grips with God’s dream for me, I’m afraid that I’ll never truly be on track.
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church at Philippi: I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
I want to know why Jesus took hold of me, his reason for allowing me to come to faith, his purpose for my life. I know that there are some generalities surrounding what it means to follow him, but I’m praying for the Dream that God has for me, for my life, for my family.
If you’re at all interested in Batterson’s book, you should grab a copy and start reading along with me. And please check back over the next few days to see where this goes.
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