Becoming a Circle Maker

I just recently started reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. What prompted me to pick up that particular book? A desire to develop a deeper, more powerful and more intimate prayer life. I have fasted and prayed over large needs before, but with being hired as Executive Director and feeling the weight of fundraising, I knew how I prayed before just wasn’t going to cut it. My heart has been crying out to God about all sorts of things on a daily basis, but my prayers are often weak and vague. I was brought up in a fantastic church and raised by solid parents, but I was taught that you don’t bargain with God and you don’t demand Him to fulfill a need. Many years spent in ministry, service, missions, and time in other countries have shown me experiences that defy how I was raised. But, yet, there was conflict in me still. How do I know if I’m offending God or not with what I’m asking of Him? Or really, what if He doesn’t answer me when I clearly ask for a miracle? I started to see that my vague prayers weren’t helping me to trust God deeper.

Don’t get me wrong, I have asked God to come through in big ways before, and the story of how we obtained our property is definitely a beautiful picture of the power of prayer and the providence of a gracious God. But, there is so much before us that is bigger than we’ve ever pursued in the past, and I felt the need to change my approach.

Through this book, I have been challenged to pray with more focus, more clarity, and more boldness. I am learning that “bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers.” So, I have been taking prayers walks, fasting, and making prayer circles around some big needs in our lives. While I know God is capable of making the impossible possible, I see this as an opportunity to expand my faith and perspective of what God is able to do and to grow in my prayer life and learn to pray as never before.