You kneel to pray. You speak the words, but you wonder if they rise any higher than the ceiling.
You sense there is a deeper, more dynamic reality to prayer than what you currently experience. Mark Batterson’s bestselling book, The Circle Maker, asserts that you are absolutely right.
The book resurrects the ancient legend of Honi, a Jewish sage who drew a circle in the sand and refused to move until God answered his audacious prayer for rain. Batterson uses this powerful story as a clarion call for modern believers.
- Small group study
- Prayer
He challenges you to stop praying safe, small prayers that require no divine intervention. He urges you to identify the God-given dreams for your life, draw a prayer circle around them, and pray with relentless persistence until you see God move in miraculous ways.
This message has ignited a fire in countless readers. They testify to a revitalized faith and incredible answers to prayer.
The book’s core ideas have also sparked intense debate and serious theological warnings from pastors and scholars.
The central question is one of foundation. Does this method represent a powerful, biblical key to unlocking divine intervention?
Some see it as a Spirit-led strategy for bold faith. Others see a dangerous path paved with misinterpreted scriptures and a theology that veers too close to prosperity teachings.
Our review will dig deep into Batterson’s claims. We will explore the inspiring stories and weigh the biblical critiques, helping you decide if you should start drawing circles of your own.
Who Will Benefit the Most from This Book?
Christians in a Prayer Rut
This book will reignite your passion for prayer. Batterson’s energetic storytelling and focus on audacious faith will challenge you to break free from timid, repetitive requests.
The God-Given Dreamer
If God has placed a big, seemingly impossible dream on your heart, this book provides a framework for praying it into reality. You will find the courage to pray with specificity and bold expectation for your ministry, family, or career.
Those Waiting on a Breakthrough
The Circle Maker offers profound encouragement for anyone weary of waiting for an answer to prayer. It champions the power of persistence, building faith that God hears, remembers, and will answer in His time.
What Do Readers Think About The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears?
Readers report that The Circle Maker is a book that sparks passionate discussion and can transform a person’s prayer life.
Many describe the book as a revolutionary guide to prayer.
Other than the Bible, this book is the most revolutionary book on prayer that I have ever read… It will change the way you pray, it will broaden your view of God and it will sure bring you closer to Jesus and His plans for you.
Others highlight its practical, actionable advice.
I learned how to draw prayer circles around my family, my ministry, my business, my problems, and my goals. I started reading my Bible and circling promises and prayers.
Some reviewers, however, raise concerns about the book’s foundational premise.
He begins with Honi, a character who appears in books that are not (and have never been) regarded as inspired by God… Rather than interpreting Honi through the lens of Scripture, he interprets Scripture through Honi.
This critique extends to how the book handles Scripture.
Batterson makes many claims in the book that, frankly, are not taught anywhere in Scripture… ‘If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God.’ When I consider what the Bible teaches about prayer, though, I do not find such claims supported at all.
Still, many find the call to pray boldly to be profoundly inspiring.
This book changed my prayers forever… Almighty God should not be asked to ‘help’ some situation, which to me does not give God His due respect. Asking God to do less than He is capable of seems to me to be an insult.
5 Things You Will Take Away
You will pray with audacious faith.
This book challenges you to move beyond timid requests and start praying impossibly big prayers. You will learn that your biggest dreams and boldest prayers honor God.
You will define your prayers with laser-like focus.
Inspired by the legend of Honi, you will learn to pray with radical specificity and persistence. You will discover how to pray through your circumstances with relentless focus until God answers.
You will connect your prayers to God-sized dreams.
Batterson teaches you to identify the God-given dreams for your life and draw prayer circles around them. Your prayer life becomes the engine that pursues the promises God has placed in your heart.
You will turn prayer into a proactive discipline.
Prayer becomes an active pursuit as you learn to “circle” your family, your goals, and your problems. This book will inspire you to physically and spiritually stake a claim on God’s promises for your life.
You will cultivate a bigger vision of God.
The Circle Maker aims to demolish any small view you have of God. You will be encouraged to see Him as a God who delights in answering prayers and displaying His glory through your life.
Who is Mark Batterson?
Mark Batterson serves as the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., a ministry known for its forward-thinking approach. His church, recognized as “one of America’s 25 most innovative churches,” uniquely operates as a single church with seven distinct locations reaching people across the capital. He, his wife Lora, and their three children make their home on Capitol Hill.
Beyond the pulpit, Batterson is a celebrated and prolific author. He has penned numerous bestselling books that consistently challenge believers to live with greater faith and purpose. His notable works include the renowned New York Times bestsellers The Circle Maker and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, establishing him as a leading voice for a new generation of Christians.
Where Can I Buy the Book?
It’s time to pray with boldness and see God move in your life. Start drawing circles around your biggest dreams and greatest fears. Get your copy of The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears on Amazon and unleash the power of audacious prayer today. Click the link below and read more about the book.
- Small group study
- Prayer
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