40-day Prayer Challenge – Draw Your Circle
For the next 40 days I have joined with a few others who have committed to praying bold prayers. This challenge was inspired by book that my step-dad Bill gave to me over the holidays called “Draw the Circle, The 40 Day Prayer Challenge,” by Mark Batterson. The book is a call to be bold in your prayer life and shares faith-building stories of answers to prayers, as well as scripture, and prayer prompts that inspire you to call out boldly to the Father.
One of my favorite illustrations from the book told of a crazy Rabbi who lived before Jesus he was nicknamed “Honi the circle maker.” When a severe drought threatened to wipe out a generation of Jews, Honi drew a circle in the sand, dropped to his knees, and said,
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, (p. 44).
Can you imagine this audacious request; Honi could have been in the circle a long time. But God honored the bold prayer; this shameless type of praying can bring honor and glory to God. That story reminds me of one of my favorite hero’s of faith in the Bible, Elijah, who also prayed bold prayers. In the book of James we are called to follow his prayer pattern:
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops, James 1:16-17.
Elijah brought glory to God by praying audacious, shameless, prayers, trusting that nothing was impossible for God. I think the Father is waiting for His children to ask relentlessly for miracles that only He can do, in order to show a cynical world the absolute power of His glorious Kingdom coming to earth. This too is how Jesus prayed and what followed were signs and wonders that announced His Father’s reign on earth.
What impossible situation confronts you at this time? What miracle are you in need of? What dream has the Father placed on your heart that seems unattainable? Join me and a few others for the next 40 days and lets draw a circle and kneel in it and ask our Father to reveal Himself glorious by answering bold prayers.
I believe that at the end of this 40-day challenge many will have their own stories to tell of the Father’s greatness. I would love for you to share them with me and post them on the blog for others to see and bring glory to our King!
Go ahead and draw your circle today!
Sometimes it seems like I live an “impossible situation” so I will be right here with you…The good news is that Elijah was just like us, and probably felt like he lived in an impossible situation as well…a lot can happen in 40 days 🙂
Thanks for your comments Steve! Your faith in many “impossible situations” has inspired all who know you and your family. Keep praying brother!
I am currently on day 4 in this very book! He said not to do it alone, but I was anyway. 🙂 Now I know I’m doing it with other prayer warriors! And I just finished doing what I know God has been calling me to do but I have resisted; I walked around my apartment complex 7 times in a row, praying for His light to pierce the darkness. In my neighborhood, I don’t go outside unless I have a reason, such as taking my grandkids on flower and leaf hunting adventures or talking with the few neighbors whom I have come to know in my 3 years here, so I hesitated to walk even 1 lap by myself, let alone 7! Yet I did. And will continue to do so. Praying boldly for revival in the least likely place. Beginning with my own heart. Thanks, Tim, for the call to prayer. Blessings!
Wow Julie!
So awesome that you are reading the book and praying over the place where you live. May you see amazing fruit from praying bold prayers.
Blessings Sister
Julie,
I just got the book yesterday and was very excited about it until I read the instructions that I must not do this alone. It felt like my balloon of joy had been deflated. So, I asked my sister’s to join me seeing as to how I believe we can break chains in our family. But as I asked I felt the looks piercing my sanity. My younger sister said she didn’t have the time and my older agreed, sort of fretfully, to give me support (in a way). Yo tell my story would take too long, but I am in the words of a famous song: “ if I should speak then it be of the grace that is greater than all my sin of when justice was served and mercy wins. Of the kindnesses of Jesus that draw me in. For to tell my story is to tell of Him. Yet lately I feel far away. I don’t know which way to turn or what to do…. So, please tell me that I can follow this challenge by myself. I have asked God that if I am to do it for myself, that He should please be there with me in the trinity.
Ruth… I absolutely believe you can do this book on your own. And you won’t be alone. God will hold you close as you seek to know Him more intimately. I’ll be praying for you.