Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge

by Mark Batterson

And when you pray to God regularly, irregular things happen on a regular basis.

The plans of God are only revealed in the presence of God. We don’t get our marching orders until we get on our knees! But if we hit our knees, God will take us places we never imagined going by paths we didn’t even know existed.

In fact, Peter broke every law in the Jewish books when he entered the home of Cornelius. Stepping through that doorway was like crossing the Rubicon. He went against everything he’d ever known and risked everything he’d ever accomplished.

If you establish a prayer routine, your life will be anything but routine. You will go to places, do things, and meet people you have no business going to, doing, or meeting. You don’t need to seek opportunity. All you have to do is seek God. And if you seek God, opportunity will seek you.

Remember when Moses got impatient4 and took matters into his own hands by killing an Egyptian taskmaster? He thought it would expedite God’s plan. In reality, it delayed God’s plan by forty years. He thought it would bring relief, but it made the burden on the Israelites almost unbearable. That’s what happens when we try to do God’s job for Him. It’s unbearable. When we try to make things go faster, we usually slow things down. When we try to make things easier, we usually make them harder. Don’t try to manufacture your own miracles. Don’t try to answer your own prayers. Don’t try to do God’s job for Him. Stay humble. Stay patient. Stay focused. Keep circling.

“God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time, but it’s up to us to see and seize those opportunities that are all around us all the time.”

The Hebrew word kûn, translated in Proverbs 16:9 as “establishes,” can also be translated as “determines,” “prepares,” “provides,” “sets in place,” “directs,” “firmly decides,” “makes secure.” It’s a meticulous word that involves careful planning right down to the smallest detail. It’s a redemptive word that celebrates God’s ability to redeem past experiences and recycle them for future opportunities. It’s a calming word that imparts confidence in the fact that God has everything under control. It’s a creative word that hints at the beauty of God’s artistry.

We need to work like it depends on us, but we also need to pray like it depends on God.

Consecration is a complete surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Consecration means we no longer call the shots. We give God veto power. His word is the final word, whether it’s Holy Scripture or the Holy Spirit.

Why do we mistakenly think that God is offended by our prayers for the impossible? The truth is that God is offended by anything less! God is offended when we ask Him to do things we can do ourselves. It’s the impossible prayers that honor God because they reveal our faith and allow God to reveal His glory.

God is honored when we act as if He is going to answer our prayers! And acting as if means acting on our prayers.

There are defining moments in life when we need to prove to God that we mean business —

Maybe our normal is so subnormal that normal seems abnormal. Maybe we need a new normal. Bold prayers and big dreams are normal. Anything less is subnormal. And when bold prayers become the norm, so do the miraculous breakthroughs that follow.

Prayer turns us into first-class noticers. It helps us see what God wants us to notice. The more you pray, the more you notice; the less you pray, the less you notice. It’s as simple as that.