Prayer Circles

One of my favorite things to do is to read. I love books, I love bookstores and libraries. I try to average at least a book a week usually two to three books a week. I read Christian living books, my favorite authors include, Kyle Idleman, Francis Chan, Beth Moore, Max Lucado, and Charles Stanley but one of my most favorite authors is Mark Batterson. Batterson's books just reach something deep inside me and make me want to do more in my Christian walk. He wrote a book a few years back entitled "The Circle Maker." This book is about prayer. Which happens to be one the areas my mother and grandmother taught me to was the most important part of my relationship with Jesus. You see without communication with Jesus there is no relationship. I am going to share some parts of Batterson's book with you, this post may be a bit longer than most, but hang with me it will be worth it.

From Mark Batterson's Book, "The Circle Maker", It was the first century BC and a devastating drought threatened to destroy a generation, the generation before Jesus. The last of the Jewish prophets had died off nearly four centuries before. Miracles were such a distant memory that they seemed like a false memory. And God was nowhere to be heard.

But there was one man, an eccentric sage who lived outside the walls of Jerusalem, who dared to pray anyway. His name was Honi. And even if the people could no longer hear God, he believed that God could still hear them. When rain is plentiful, it’s an afterthought. During a drought, it’s the only thought. And Honi was their only hope. Famous for his ability to pray for rain, it was on this day—the day—that Honi would earn his moniker. With a six-foot staff in his hand, Honi began to turn like a math compass. His circular movement was rhythmical and methodical. Ninety degrees. One hundred and eighty degrees. Two hundred and seventy degrees. Three hundred and sixty degrees. He never looked up as the crowd looked on. After what seemed like hours, but had only been seconds, Honi stood inside the circle he had drawn. Then he dropped to his knees and raised his hands to heaven. With the authority of the prophet Elijah who called down fire from heaven, Honi called down rain. “Lord of the Universe, I swear before your great name that I will not move from this circle until you have shown mercy upon your children.” The words sent a shudder down the spine of all who were within earshot that day. It wasn’t just the volume of his voice. It was the authority of his tone. Not a hint of doubt. This prayer didn’t originate in the vocal chords. Like water from an artesian well, the words flowed from the depth of his soul. His prayer was resolute yet humble; confident yet meek; expectant yet unassuming. Then it happened. As his prayer ascended to the heavens, raindrops descended to the earth. An audible gasp swept across the thousands of congregants who had encircled Honi. Every head turned heavenward as the first raindrops parachuted from the sky, but Honi’s head remained bowed. The people rejoiced over each drop, but Honi wasn’t satisfied with a sprinkle.

Still kneeling within the circle, Honi lifted his voice over the sounds of celebration. “Not for such rain have I prayed, but for rain that will fill cisterns, pits, and caverns.” The sprinkle turned into such a torrential downpour that eyewitnesses said no raindrop was smaller than an egg in size. It rained so heavily and so steadily that the people fled to the Temple Mount to escape the flash floods. Honi stayed and prayed inside his protracted circle. Once more he refined his bold request. “Not for such rain have I prayed, but for rain of Thy favor, blessing, and graciousness.” Then, like a well-proportioned sun shower on a hot and humid August afternoon, it began to rain calmly, peacefully. Each raindrop was a tangible token of God’s grace. And they didn’t just soak the skin; they soaked the spirit with faith. It would be forever remembered as the day. The day thunderclaps applauded the Almighty. The day puddle jumping became an act of praise. The day the legend of the circle maker was born.

It had been difficult to believe the day before the day. The day after the day, it was impossible not to believe. Honi was celebrated like a hometown hero by the people whose lives he had saved. But some within the Sanhedrin called the Circle Maker into question. A faction believed that drawing a circle and demanding rain dishonored God. Maybe it was those same members of the Sanhedrin who would criticize Jesus for healing a man’s withered arm on the Sabbath a generation later. They threatened Honi with excommunication, but because the miracle could not be repudiated, Honi was ultimately honored for his act of prayerful bravado. The prayer that saved a generation was deemed one of the most significant prayers in the history of Israel. The circle he drew in the sand became a sacred symbol. And the legend of Honi the circle maker stands forever as a testament to the power of a single prayer to change the course of history.

So after reading about the legend of Honi the circle maker, I examined my own prayer life. I looked at how many times I had prayed for something just one time and never received an answer. I looked at how many times I prayed a half-hearted prayer hoping sort of like a Jeannie in a bottle God would magically grant my wish! I wondered to myself if I really circled my requests to God, first it would make me really think about what I was asking did I really want what I was asking of God? Second, did I want what I was asking enough to keep asking until I heard from God? Was what I was asking honoring  God or was it just selfish? I pose this question to you beloved, what if we could change the course of history with our prayers? What if we circled our prayers what if we didn't stop praying until God answered? The NLT of God's word says in Matthew 7:7 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." 

What if we stopped asking for meaningless things, like chocolate cake to be calorie free. (Ok so maybe I am the only one that's ever prayed that prayer!) What if we circle our children, our marriages, our churches and our jobs. What if we could circle all these school shootings? What if we could circle drug and alcohol abuse? The list goes on and on. I know you are saying, wow Jeanie those are really big issues.. well, beloved, we serve a Mighty Big God. I challenge you to circle your requests to God, do not pray about them just once and forget them. Pray until you have an answer, now I am not promising it will be the answer we want. Only God knows what is best but if we keep circling He will answer. Just what if, it is our prayers that change our marriages, our families, our children, our churches, our jobs, those calories in chocolate cake! (can't blame a girl for trying!) even the world!

I Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing"

Jesus, thank you for the privilege of prayer, thank you for the Holy Spirit that intercedes for us when we do not even have the words. Help us, Jesus, to persevere and circle our requests until we hear from you. Jesus, we know you have the power to change history, help us to be bold in our prayers, that we would ask you to do things only you can do.