I’m reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson (see my previous post, “The Circle Maker” 1.0).
Picking up where I left off, here are more quotes that are impacting me. First, I love the phrase used in the book to describe kneeling prayer: “Stop, drop, and pray.”
We tend to think that as we grow, life will get easier. But Mark Batterson writes …
God will keep putting you in situations that stretch your faith, and as your faith stretches, so do your dreams. If you pass the test, you graduate to bigger and better dreams. And it won’t get easier; it’ll get harder. It won’t get less complicated; it’ll get more complicated. But complications are evidence of God’s blessing. And if it’s from God, then it’s a holy complication. (91)
Throughout the book, Batterson talks about praying hard.
Praying hard starts with listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. And if you are faithful in the small things and obey those little promptings, then God can use you to do the big things. (97)
Batterson discusses unanswered prayers. He notes …
Some of the hardest moments in life are when you’ve prayed hard but the answer is no and you don’t know why. And you may never know why. But that is the litmus test of trust. … The hardest thing about praying hard is enduring unanswered prayers. (100)
While we’d prefer that God answer our prayers the way we want him to, the reality is, God knows best! And sometimes, as Batterson reminds us, “God gets in the way to show the way” (102).
We hate detours! They are frustrating. They are confusing. But the divine detours often get us where God wants us to go. (103)
I also appreciate the long view that Batterson recommends. He writes …
Instead of thinking in terms of time, we must think in terms of eternity. Instead of thinking in terms of ourselves, we must think in terms of our children and grandchildren. Instead of thinking in seven-day cycles, we must think in terms of seventy-year timelines. (112)
The bigger the vision the harder you’ll have to pray and the longer you’ll have to think. But if you keep circling, it’ll come to pass in God’s time. (112)
Encouraging and challenging thoughts on prayer from Mark Batterson!