Every month, we feature a book review based on our blog theme for that month. For more great book suggestions, check out our Bookshelf tab here. (And for you non-readers, check out the audio book options!)
For May, we’ve been blogging about the power of prayer, and while there are a lot of great books on prayer, I wanted to review The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.
When I first started reading this book, I only read through maybe a third of it—and then I got discouraged. We were praying for miracles in our life, and Mark shared testimony after testimony of God’s answered prayer for his life and for his church.
I suddenly felt a bit forgotten and alone.
And, to be honest, I sort of developed a bad attitude toward the book. I would say stuff like, “Oh, he’s just all about ‘name it and claim it.’ That’s not how God operates.”
Let me tell you, friends, when I did actually come back to finish it—a year or so later—I realized it’s so very far from being heretical.
Mark gives insight into the heart of God for prayer: that we would believe, that we would risk in what we ask for because only then are we exercising faith, and that we would be persistent even when we don’t see anything changing.
He’s very quotatble, so I’ll try to be sparse, but here are a few of my favorites:
“His command better be your wish. If it’s not, you won’t be drawing circles; you’ll end up walking in circles” (p. 16).
“God does not answer vague prayers” (p. 27).
“No doesn’t always mean no; sometimes it means not yet. We’re too quick to give up on God when He doesn’t answer our prayers how or when we want. Maybe your deadline doesn’t fit God’s timeline… Maybe it’s a divine delay” (p. 64).
“If you want God to surprise you, you have to give up control” (p. 66).
“I don’t want easy answers or quick answers because I have a tendency to mishandle the blessings that come too easily or too quickly. I take the credit or take them for granted. Now I pray that it will take long enough and be hard enough for God to receive all the glory. I’m not looking for the path of least resistance; I’m looking for the path of greatest glory… Maybe we need to change our prayer approach from as soon as possible to as long as it takes (p. 196).
Whether you’re a seasoned prayer warrior or are looking for an approach to be more disciplined with your prayer life, you’ll be encouraged by this book!
God desires to give us good gifts, and his heart rejoices when we ask Him! Remember Brad’s sermon about middle voice? (5 Smooth Stones—Part 4: Faith) He said,
Pray in middle voice—taking action but depending on God to complete the action.
Let’s exercise our faith through prayer!
This post was written by Laura Brandenburg. To read more about her, click here.
Women's Ministry 
I loved this book, too, and the whole concept for prayer. I left the copy I was reading at the time at a place in Colorado for people who helped us out of our “stuck in snow” predicament. We got out and I hope someone else was blessed by the book. I bought another copy when we got home and finished it. Yes, I actually left an unfinished book there on purpose, but I just felt led to do it.