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 –>
The big idea in section 3 (Think Long) lies in the areas of legacy and longevity. In a world that’s marked by instant everything, 4G blazing fast downloads, and Twitter feeds that keep you updated on what all your friends are doing RIGHT NOW, perseverance is a rare commodity. Batterson reasons that instant is not the way things work with dreaming big and praying hard. He writes, “We need the patience of the planter. We need the foresight of the farmer. We need the mindset of the sower.” (p134)
Batterson goes on to detail the benefits that follow faithfulness in prayer, the fruits of perseverance that lead to a legacy for future generations of Jesus followers, even when the results may not be seen in our lifetimes.
Here are some stand-out thoughts:
(Daniel) had the ability to pray with urgency about things that weren’t urgent. That is an important dimension of thinking long. (p 139)
…difficult days taught us to pray hard and forced us to think long. (p142) This obviously ties in with the previous circle (Pray Hard) in dealing with answers that are slow in coming.
On Daniel’s habit of prayer being a part of his daily life:
…intensity was the by-product of consistency. (p 149)
One of the reasons that many people don’t feel an intimacy with God is because they don’t have a daily rhythm with God; they have a weekly rhythm. (p 155)
On fasting:
Fasting has a way of fast-tracking our prayers. Because fasting is harder than praying, fasting is a form of praying hard.
The great danger when God does a miracle is that we get comfortable. That’s when we’ve got to stay humble and stay hungry. If we aren’t careful, we can lose faith simply because we already have what we need. That isn’t just mismanagement of a miracle, it’s gross negligence. One reasons God does miracles is to stretch our faith so we can draw bigger circles so he can do bigger and better miracles. (p 167)
Destiny is not a mystery. For better or worse, your destiny is the result of your daily decisions and defining decisions. (p 168)
Batterson closes this section with a chapter about the link between thinking/praying long and setting goals. He even includes his life-goals, a bucket list that he developed (and modifies) as he has spent time dreaming big, praying hard, and thinking long.
The parts that stood out to me as I read through this today were
1. Too many of us give up on God too early. We quit praying before God has moved, thinking that we missed it, that God isn’t going to answer, or that he doesn’t hear us. I’ve been guilty of this, and I run into load of people who talk of wrestling with a particular sin or problem for “such a long time.” The truth is that our scope and perspective is so finite, so limited that we simply have no basis for even determining what a “long time” really is. When we believe that God has given us a dream, we need to dig in for the long haul and not give up.
2. I don’t have a bucket list–yet. But I’m going to start crafting one, spending time in prayer, dreaming big and thinking long. Batterson suggests the following categories for crafting such a list: family, influence, experience, physical, and travel. He also indicates that all of his goals have a spiritual component to them.
The final installment of this review will be posted tomorrow night, ready for your Sunday morning reading…
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