I’m blogging my way through Mark Batterson’s book The Circle Maker. For more info on Batterson or the book, click here. To see the previous entries, check the list to the right –>
This is the last post in my review of The Circle Maker. Batterson writes a few more short chapters, recapping and reminding us of the prayer principles that he’s outlined. Dream Big. Pray Hard. Think Long. He cites some incredible stories from his own life, and from his work as the pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC.
His main idea with this closing is to help us see that our prayers echo into eternity. While the physical sound waves will eventually die off, the spiritual nature of our prayers actually enable them to accumulate, to pile up, to grow in light of the God who is eternal. He writes:
Every prayer is a time capsule. You never know when or where or how God is going to answer it, but He will answer it. There is no expiration date, and there are no exceptions. God answers prayer. (p202)
I come away from this book with a renewed perspective on prayer. My sight and faith have been stretched. It’s not that I haven’t always believed that prayer is important. And I certainly know that God answers prayer. But after my walk with Batterson over the past few days, I am encouraged and instructed.
I still don’t have any clear revelation about God’s dreams for my life, at least nothing concrete. But I am encouraged to pray hard, to pray through my searching. And I’m committed to praying and thinking long. As a long-time follower of Jesus, I appreciated Batterson’s reminder about the faithfulness of God, and the fact that God loves to keep his promises.
If you are interested in developing a more fruitful prayer life or if you’re looking for some inspiration for a flagging prayer life I heartily recommend that you pick up a copy of The Circle Maker. And you might want to buy a journal and a new pen. I’ve got a feeling that you’ll start drawing some circles in the near future.
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