The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears

by Mark Batterson

Counterfactual theorists ask the what if questions.

If they had stopped circling after twelve round trips, they would have done a lot of walking for nothing. Like the generation before them, they would have defaulted on the promise. And the same is true for us.

our primary problem:

Most of us don’t get what we want because we don’t k...

we don’t know what...

Most of us don’t get what we want because we...

We give up too soon. We quit praying ri...

miracle h...

to

You intercede until God intervenes.

Like the story Jesus told about the persistent widow who drove the judge crazy with her relentless requests, praying through won’t take no for an answer.

Drawing prayer circles involves more than words; it’s gut-wrenching groans and heartbreaking tears.

it touches the heart of your heavenly Father.

When was the last time you pulled an allnighter in prayer?

But if you want God to do something new in your life, you can’t do the same old thing.

It will involve more sacrifice,

exist. After an exhaustive search,

we only found one piece of property that met our specifications, so we dubbed it “the last piece of property on Capitol Hill.” Strategically situated where Capitol Hill, the Navy Yard, and Riverfront communities intersect, the location was absolutely perfect. And the front of the property faced the I-295/395 expressway that is the main artery running through the heart of DC, giving it unbeatable visibility and accessibility.

the location was absolute...

the front of the property faced the I-295/395 expressway that is the main artery running through the heart of DC, giving it unbe...

I was deeply disappointed because I had already envisioned our new campus on that site.

that site. I was deeply confused because I felt like it was where God wanted us. But we should praise God for disappointment because it drives us to our knees.

But we should praise God for disappointment because it driv...

disappointment can actually restore our prayer rhythm and re...

Sometimes faith seems like a denial of reality, but that’s because we’re holding on to a reality that is more real than the reality we can perceive with our five senses.

I have delivered

God speaks in the past tense, not the future tense.

The battle was won before the battle even began.

All they had to do was circle it.

true faith celebrates before the miracle happens, as if the miracle has already happened,

Prayer and praise are both expressions of faith,

praise is a higher dimension of faith.

Prayer is asking God to do something,...

praise is believing that God has already done...

God doesn’t do miracles to satisfy our selfish whims. God does miracles for one reason and one reason alone: to spell His glory.

We started praising Him for it because we felt like God had promised it.

And when God gives you a promise, you need to praise Him for it.

I started praising Him for the children he was going to give us instead of pleading for children.

Today we have eight precious children that God has blessed us with through both birth and adoption.

You need to stop asking, because God has already answered.

And for the record, even if God doesn’t answer the way you want, you still need to praise through.

it’s most difficult to praise God, but that is also when our praise is most pure ...

The deal died three times, but resurrection is the central tenet of the Christian faith.

Prayer has the power to resurrect dead dreams and give them new life — eternal life.

And don’t just pray through; praise through.

Is it possible for a man to dream continuously for seventy years?

At some point, most of us stop living out of imagination and start living out of memory.

Imagination is the road less taken, but it is the pathway of prayer.

And it is God’s faithfulness that increases our faith and enlarges our dreams.

Age is never a valid excuse.