--Wed MidWeek 40: Circle Maker 1--Dirt Into Mud

Dirt Into Mud

Worship w/Marcie

Introduce Book Study

Mark Batterson is an author and the lead pastor National Community Church located in Washington, D.C.

Author of:

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day,

Wild Goose Chase,

Circle Maker,

Soulprint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny,

Win the Day, and

blogs daily at www.evotional.com

Introduce:

Chapter 7 in the book Draw the Circle by Mark Batterson

He builds Draw the Circle around three main circles...

1- Dream Big

like Joshua asking God to make the sun and moon to stand sill till they could avenge his enemies (Joshua 10:13)

2- Pray Hard

its about being persistent in prayer.

3- Think Long

is about playing the long game, not the short game.

Then he says “Keep Circling”

So our three week study will focus on chapter seven

Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems

TOPICS we will cover...

Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems Chapter 2. Circle Makers

The greatest moments in life are the miraculous moments when human impotence and divine omnipotence intersect

God is for Us.

Is there any limit to God’s Power

It’s not about being qualified, the question is are you called?

This is the finger of God so we can cast our fear upon him—He can handle it!

READ TEXT FROM CHAPTER 7

Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems

Chapter 1. The Legend of the Circle Maker

Young children danced in the downpour like it was the first rainfall they’d ever seen. And it was. Parents threw back their heads, opened their mouths, and caught raindrops like they were libations. And they were. When it hasn’t rained in more than a year, raindrops are like diamonds falling from the sky.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 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 eighty degrees. Two hundred seventy degrees. Three hundred 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 spines 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 Your 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 had been difficult to believe the day before the day. The day after the day, it was impossible not to believe. Eventually, the dirt turned into mud and back into dirt again. After quenching their thirst, the crowd dispersed. And the rainmaker returned to his humble hovel on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Life returned to normal, but the legend of the circle maker had been born.

Honi was celebrated as 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 shriveled hand 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.

Chapter 2 Circle Makers

The earth has circled the sun more than two thousand times since the day Honi drew his circle in the sand, but God is still looking for circle makers. And the timeless truth secreted within this ancient legend is as true now as it was then:

Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers.

God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers.

He is offended by anything less.

If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God.

Why? Because they don’t require divine intervention.

But ask God to part the Red Sea or make the sun stand still or float an iron axhead, and God is moved to omnipotent action. There is nothing God loves more than keeping promises, answering prayers, performing miracles, and fulfilling dreams. That is who He is. That is what He does. And the bigger the circle we draw, the better, because God gets more glory. The greatest moments in life are the miraculous moments when human impotence and divine omnipotence intersect — and they intersect when we draw a circle around the impossible situations in our lives and invite God to intervene. I promise you this: God is ready and waiting.

So while I have no idea what circumstances you find yourself in, I’m confident that you are only one prayer away from a dream fulfilled, a promise kept, or a miracle performed. It is absolutely imperative at the outset that you come to terms with this simple yet life-changing truth: God is for you. If you don’t believe that, then you’ll pray small timid prayers; if you do believe it, then you’ll pray big audacious prayers. And one way or another, your small timid prayers or big audacious prayers will change the trajectory of your life and turn you into two totally different people.

Prayers are prophecies.

They are the best predictors of your spiritual future.

Who you become is determined by how you pray. Ultimately, the transcript of your prayers becomes the script of your life.

Do you want to be inspired to dream big, pray hard, and think long?

Do you want to learn how to claim God-given promises, pursue God-sized dreams, and seize God-ordained opportunities —

to draw prayer circles around your family, your job, your problems, and your goals?

Before you learn how to draw prayer circles, it’s important to understand why it is so important. Drawing prayer circles isn’t some magic trick to get what you want from God. God is not a genie in a bottle, and your wish is not His command. His command better be your wish. If it’s not, you won’t be drawing prayer circles; you’ll end up walking in circles.

Drawing prayer circles starts with discerning what God wants, what God wills. And until His sovereign will becomes your sanctified wish, your prayer life will be unplugged from its power supply. Sure, you can apply some of the principles of becoming a circle maker, and they may help you get what you want, but getting what you want isn’t the goal; the goal is glorifying God by drawing circles around the promises, miracles, and dreams He wants for you.

GETTING WHAT YOU WANT IS NOT THE GOAL...

Phil. 4.13

Philippians 4:13 NLT

13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

THE GOAL IS “GLORIFYING GOD”

WE DO THAT BY HONORING HIS PROMISES, HIS MIRACLES, AND HIS DREAMS.

I BELIEVE GOD WANTS TO DO THIS IN OUR LIVES EVEN TODAY...

Hebrews 13.8

Hebrews 13:8 NLT

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Amen...

next week we will look at some examples of Drawing the Circle.

so tonight...

where can we start?

what are we inspired to do to give Glory and Honor to God?

Let’s pray...