Today we take another step on our adventure together. A couple of weeks ago I gave you a copy of the book Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. Read the text below written by Batterson and then consider and respond to my questions following.
I am excited about what God is going to teach us along the way!
Text: Joshua 6:1–16
Reading: The Circle Maker,
chapters 1-4
The Power of a Single
Prayer
The earth has circled the sun more than two thousand times
since the day Honi
drew his circle in the sand, but God is still looking for
circle makers. And the
timeless truth secreted within this ancient legend is as
true now as it was then: bold
prayers honor God and God honors bold prayers. God isn’t
offended by your biggest
dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less.
If your prayers aren’t
impossible to you, they are insulting to God. Why? Because
they don’t require divine
intervention. But ask God to part the Red Sea or make the
sun stand still or float an
iron ax-head, and God is moved to omnipotent action.
There is nothing God loves more than keeping promises,
answering prayers,
performing miracles, and fulfilling dreams. That is who He
is. That is what He does.
And the bigger the circle we draw, the better, because God
gets more glory. The
greatest moments in life are the miraculous moments when
human impotence and
divine omnipotence intersect, and they intersect when we
draw a circle around the
impossible situations in our lives and invite God to
intervene. I promise you this: God
is ready and waiting. So while I have no idea what circumstances you find
yourself in, I’m confident that you are only one prayer away from a dream
fulfilled, a promise kept or a miracle performed. It’s absolutely imperative at
the outset that you come to terms with this simple yet life-changing truth: God
is for you.
If you don’t believe that, then you’ll pray small timid
prayers. If you do believe it, then
you’ll pray big audacious prayers. And one way or the other,
your small timid prayers or big audacious prayers will change the trajectory of
your life and turn you into two totally different people. Prayers are
prophecies. They are the best predictors of your spiritual future. Who you
become is determined by how you pray. Ultimately, the transcript of your
prayers becomes the script of your life.
My initial reaction was one of inquisition, I found myself questioning my own prayer life before the end of the first chapter. My prayer life has never really existed prior to a couple years ago, so i find my prayers are timid and reactive. I want my prayers to active and reactive.
ReplyDeleteElliott,
DeleteI agree--I want my prayer life to be active. I am intrigued to hear your whole story as we get to know each other. I sense that God has done some tremendous things in your life as well as your family and I can't wait to hear it all.
Thanks for participating and reading. I hope this book will continue to challenge and motivate all of us to actively engage in an ongoing dialogue with God.
Initially I am intrigued by the story of Honi,a folktale/story that I had never come across before in any of my reading. I find Honi's perserverance commendable - he is testing God as God has asked us to. Testing God is believing in something that is humanly impossible so that only God can make it happen (even though he may use humans to help him.) I don't think I have ever prayed a circle around anything ,but I have prayed some pretty impossible prayers.When they called me to say they had a kidney for me,I rejoiced, i packed, I drove down the road with my two sons (15,and 16)and in the car for a moment the question came up what if this doesn't go well what happens to us? I told them my transplant was part of God'plan for us and that all would go well and everything would be fine. I trusted God. All was fine and I have had my transplant for 18 years and still going strong!!! God encircled me with his love and with the help of a donor (who I'm sure got to go to heaven) and the doctors and others gave me a God Size miracle.
ReplyDeleteThat being said it is true that on the everyday side of things we get complacent and pray puny prayers thanking God for the day, the food, our needs, the needs of others but don't really think to pray God size prayers.
I am being Challenged to think outside the box so to speak and beleive God for the miracles He has in store!!
Lord let me not be a stumbling block to Your Will, help me to see where you are moving and join you there! Amen!
Cynde,
DeleteWhat a cool story! I know that God is inviting us to pray huge, God-sized prayers and we are all learning to do that together.
I love the fact that you are being challenged.
Great prayer!
Cynde,
DeleteThank you for sharing your testimony, as you know I have shared it with my friend at work who is on a wiring list to get a new kidney. I know that it gave him hope to hear that you are a survivor and living well.
Sorry everyone, it took me a while to figure out how to post here. LOL
ReplyDeleteI had never heard the story of Honi before, I tried to imagine what it was like back then. We take food for granted because we can go to the local grocery store to get anything we need.
ReplyDeleteTo pray for rain in this day and age seems strange, but if we step into the past and really put ourselves in Honi's sandals we can feel the desperation and the unshakable faith he must have had.
Until we truly find our selves in a position were nothing in the physical realm can change our fate, until we are faced with total reliance on God we cannot say for certain which way we will go. I have an old friend in the Marines that told me "The true test of character comes when your back is against the wall.
When I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, I was initially incredulous and it felt like a bad dream. There I sat in a cold conference room with My wife Rachel, Dr. Langston and of all people a social worker. I had never had a social worker at a doctor's visit. I knew it was about to get ugly. It was in this setting that I was told my Lymphoma was resistant to treatment and that I only had a 30% chance of survival.
The doctor sounded so cold and clinical when she made the pronouncement. Rachel's eyes filled with tears, I just sat there expressionless. I was going to die......maybe.
After a second or two MY GOD touched my heart and mind and instantly I heard the song, "I will praise you in the storm" I saw MY JESUS in the boat with me and the disciples, he looked at me and said, "Oh ye of little faith". I suddenly felt empowered as if God would not let me hear the negative. I hugged Rachel tight and shared with her what God told me. I was scared, I would be lying if I said otherwise. But God was with us and no matter what everything would be OK.
I prayed God please dont let me die, Father please dont let me be a coward, let my family and friend see you in my life Father and help me to be brave. Who is this God that I serve. Do I just go to a building every sunday and read a book are are your words truly living water? Father let me go down like a warrior.
I spent many many nights praying, pleading with God to let me live to be the father My children need and the Husband that my wife needs me to be. I felt scared and alone and got mad at God at times for allowing this horrible thing in my life. But at those times he would allow me to see a child in a Chemo ward. It made me feel small and weak as I watched a little girl, bald with dark circle around her eyes smiling and laughing.
I would pray for her, then the next patient, then the next. I would talk to the nurses about MY GOD. I got to pray with a nurse who wanted her family to be healed. He husband had an affair with their teenaged baby sitter and left. God, I see now why I am here. The battle is not for just me or my family.
When our hour of trial comes, how do we respond? I pray that we have the courage and wisdom that comes from God to pray and ask for his guidance and his mercy, and his blessings. Trials build faith!!!!! Pray and see what happens!