by Sandy Kirby Quandt

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson was published in 2011, but I’ve just now gotten around to reading it. Perhaps some of you are familiar with the book, but for those who aren’t, I’d like to give you a short review of my thoughts on the book.

The cover of the book reads, Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears. With a statement like that, I figured the least I could do was read what the author had to say. I’m glad I did.

As I usually do with most non-fiction books I read, I took notes. The first note I wrote and starred said, “Even when we can’t hear God, he can hear us.”

To prove this wasn’t another far-out-there mystically hoo-doo, voo-doo book, Batterson began by saying drawing prayer circles starts with discerning what God wants, what God wills. He says until God’s sovereign will becomes our sanctified wish, our prayer life will be unplugged from its power source. The goal is glorifying God by drawing circles around the promises, miracles, and dreams God wants for us.

One example he gave was Joshua and his army marching seven times around the city of Jericho in the Old Testament. God promised Joshua he would deliver the city into his hands if Joshua kept circling, because that was God’s will. In that example, Batterson said we need to identify our personal Jericho, define the promises God wants us to claim.

I have to say that even after reading and taking notes, defining the promises God wants me to claim is something I don’t quite understand fully.

Batterson admits not every prayer will be answered as we script it, but the prayers that do happen would not have happened if we hadn’t drawn a circle around it to begin with.

Things I already apply to my life like being specific in my prayer requests, praising God ahead of time, understanding it isn’t a matter of whether God can, it’s a matter of whether he will, and realizing sometimes a no means not yet, are mentioned in this book.

There were many points the author gave which I highlighted in this book, but I’ll leave you with only a few more.

• God has the habit of waiting until the very last moment to answer our prayer to see if we will chicken out or pray through.
• God provides just enough just in time.
• Some of God’s answers to prayer won’t be revealed on this side of glory because they are invisible answers. When God makes something happen we can thank him because we can see it. When he keeps something from happening, we don’t know how to thank him because we don’t know what he did.
• Do you trust God is for you even when he doesn’t give you what you asked for?

And lastly … if you can trust God when the answer is no, you’re likely to give him praise when the answer is yes.

Have you read this book? If so, what was your impression of it?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Leave a comment below. If you think others would appreciate reading this please share it through the social media buttons.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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