Sometimes, It Is Just Write

September 16, 2013 by

Psalms,King David,Honesty

It occurs to me that sometimes I just need to write.  I simply need to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys, in this case) and let the thoughts flow and see how the Spirit moves me.

Over the last few weeks I have been writing very thematically.  I am making great use of my little black moleskin notebook to jot down ideas as they come to me.  I then take these ideas, usually days later, and try to develop them into full blown posts of 500-1000 words.  It’s a good system, and it works, but it’s not very spontaneous.

Spontaneous King David

Biblically speaking, I think about the Psalms of David.  How many of the Psalms did David write spontaneously?  How many did he plan out and build systematically over time, refining and correcting them as he went?  I really don’t know.  I do know that the kind of emotion displayed in many of the Psalms seem to me to be original, organic and most probably spontaneous.

David simply sat down and poured out his heart on paper, talking to God as he wrote.  Consider Psalm 55, verses 4-8.

4 “My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me.  5 Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.  6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest.  7 I would flee far away and stay in the desert;  8 I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”

Tell it Like it Is

Clearly, David was in misery and pain and he was not hiding from it.  I am quite sure that his tears were falling even as he was writing.  I don’t envy what he went through but I very much respect his honesty and his willingness to throw it all down before God and acknowledge his helplessness.  And let’s face it, if you are in dire straits you aren’t going to wait until you can craft a formal request.  You are going to head straight to the one who can handle it for you.

That’s exactly what David did.  In verse 16 David says “As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.”  And then in verse 22 “Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”

The reason David knew that he could pour out his heart to God in honesty was because he knew that his God was big enough to take care of the problem.  David trusted God and continually called on his Heavenly Father (verse 17 says “Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.”) and never gave up hope.  And neither should we.

It may take a crisis for us to realize it, but our God is big enough to take care of us through life’s many troubles.  We simply need to remain honest and humble before Him and never stop praying.  Let us take spontaneous King David as an example and cry out to God and then wait expectantly on His deliverance.

Can you think of any situations recently where you have asked the Lord to intervene in a time of trouble and He heard and answered your prayer?

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Go With What You Know: Know All You Can

September 11, 2013 by

Bible study,learning,faith in actionAs Christians, we are called to act on our faith.  Certainly, what we believe is very important, but it is our speech and our actions that ultimately show the world God’s love in a personal way.

Go with What You Know

I have been in more than one conversation lately where the speaker expressed some confusion over finding God’s will for their life.  This is something we all struggle with from time to time.  Regrettably, it is all too easy to become anxious in our searching and to let the search become our focus.  In doing so, we overlook God’s provision and blessing that is sufficient for today.   We lose our joy and our simple moment by moment dependence on God because we’re looking in the wrong place and in the wrong way.

God reveals His plan as we are ready to receive it and on His timetable.  Our God is a God of order.  His order always includes our surrender and obedience first and then His word to us second.  He will not give us a fresh word until we’ve been obedient with that which He has already given us.  If there is something that we have not dealt with, some sin or matter of faith that we are not acting on, then we can’t expect God to speak beyond the place that we have stopped.

God is pleased when we seek His plan for our life.  Even better, however, is when we seek God Himself above anything and everything else.  The moment we try to get away from “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33a) is the moment we take our eyes off of Him and, like Peter, start to sink in the waves of our circumstances.

Go with what you know.  Live each day in simple reliance on our Heavenly Father and seek Him above and beyond anything else.  “and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33b)

Know all You Can

Even as we seek to live in simple reliance on God we never have an excuse to stop learning, cease growing or stand still in our faith.  I believe an honest and true search for the face of God will encompass as much study, prayer and learning time as we can muster, and will continue even into the next life where finally see Him face to face.

That’s why we simply don’t have time to be distracted.  God is so big, so wonderful and so amazing that spending the time to get to know Him is always to our benefit.  God wants to bless His children by using them to bless others and by giving them more of Himself.  That can only happen as we strive to know Him ever better and understand His love ever greater.

No matter where you are in your journey of faith, the principles remain the same.  Seek God first and above all.   Love Him with your whole heart and let nothing stand between you and Him.  Learn all you can about your Heavenly Father by spending time with Him and His children and grow strong in your faith and your knowledge of God.

Are you searching for God and His will in your life right now?  What obstacles seem to be in the way?  What’s keeping you from being exactly what God would have you to be?

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Miscellaneous Monday

September 9, 2013 by

daniel fast,encouragement,Welcome to Miscellaneous Monday!  First of all, I am glad you are here.  Monday’s can be difficult for the best of us, but if we encourage and pray for each other, we will get through it.  Let us put encouragement into practice today, just as it says in God’s word.  “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”(1 Thessalonians 5:11 NKJV)

Be encouraged.  God is for you and is working for your good even when it doesn’t seem like it!

Speaking of encouragement, this week begins a 21 day Daniel fast for my wife and I.  We are going to need a lot of prayer and encouragement!  We both feel like the Holy Spirit is leading us to undertake this fast, and although we’re not sure why, we’re both praying that God will speak to us in a special way.  I am excited to hopefully get to know my Lord in a new and more intimate way.  If you’d like to know more about the Daniel fast then please check here.

In Other News

I apologize in advance but today’s post is going to cover several topics, hence the title.  I have a few miscellaneous items to cover today so please bear with me.

As you may have noticed, there is now a “Subscribe” box to the right of the post area.  I am working on a weekly newsletter and if you leave me your name and email address I would greatly appreciate it.  The newsletter will allow me to summarize the week’s posts in a short email for folks who have been too busy to visit the site.  It will be a great way to see what’s going on throughout the week in a quick and easy to read format.

Just above the “Subscribe” box is the “Find Me On” widget which allows you to connect to my Twitter, Google Plus or Facebook profiles.  I post updates on Facebook regarding the site almost daily and that can be a great way to see what’s coming up while allowing for more personal interaction.  I use Twitter primarily to note when I have made a new post so that’s a great way to be reminded if you are a fan of the service.  Finally, Google Plus is a fairly new service by Google that has some Facebook like features but is in some ways, even better.

All of those services allow me to connect and communicate with you through Matthew515 more effectively, so I would appreciate your help with that.

New Theme Coming

Matthew515 is a site that runs on WordPress and that means the look and most of the functions of the site are controlled by what is known as a “theme”.  The current theme has some strong points but is not very flexible in terms of layout or fonts so I am building a new version of Matthew515 on a new theme.  The color scheme and logo will remain but I am experimenting with just about everything else.  My goal is to increase readability by using better fonts while also improving the look and layout of the site.  I don’t have an ETA on when it will be ready but I will make an announcement here and on Facebook before I do the final upload.  As Matthew515 grows, the new, more sophisticated theme will be extremely beneficial so I hope it is well received.

Words to Live By

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NKJV)  This is the way to get through Monday.  Make Philippians 4:8 your goal today and not only will it encourage you and help you through your day, it will also help you be an encouragement to someone else.

What verses and thoughts help you get through a difficult Monday or any other day?

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The Spiritual Diet Plan: It Works for Me

September 4, 2013 by

Influence,Spiritual Diet,Holy SpiritIf you’ve been following along this week, you will hopefully have noticed that we have a theme.  That theme is influence.

On Monday we talked about how the things that we choose to put into our bodies have an influence on us, either for good or for evil.  We discussed how even things that are normally good can influence us for evil, if we use them in the wrong way or in the wrong attitude.

On Tuesday we went a little bit deeper with the idea of influence and painted a mental picture of Jesus and all of the other things that we let influence us sitting around the table of our mind and heart.  As we drew the mental picture we came to the conclusion that Jesus must be first at the table of our mind and heart and that our other influences should support that arrangement.

If, over the last two days, the Holy Spirit has nudged you about certain influences in your life that are pulling you away from your relationship with God, then it might be time to take a look at a Spiritual Diet Plan.

The Spiritual Diet Plan encompasses all areas of our life.  It may indeed involve cutting out certain foods or drinks that are having a negative influence on our walk with God, but I suspect that for most of us, it’s in the realm of entertainment and social activities that the real work is to be done.

I shared a story on Monday about how my love of reading fiction novels was leading to an overindulgence of fantasy.  As the Holy Spirit revealed this to me, I made the decision to remove fiction books entirely from my life for a period of time so that I might focus more fully on the Lord.  As a result, my reading time now is focused on the Bible and on books that encourage and nourish me spiritually.  This was how I put the Spiritual Diet Plan into practice in my own life.

It has made a massive and wonderful difference.

As I began to spend more time in the Bible and in books that pointed me towards a fuller and deeper relationship with God, I found that I naturally became more focused on Him and His kingdom.  The influence exerted on me by my new choice in reading material was overwhelmingly positive and helpful whereas the influence exerted on me by my previous reading material mostly left me mentally muddled and distracted.

If you need a Spiritual Diet Plan, exactly how you implement it will be up to you and the Holy Spirit.  I have an overactive imagination and a love of fantasy so I am very careful to minimize my intake of those types of influences.  For you, it will likely be something completely different.

Certainly Facebook and other types of social media are easy to identify as a possible distraction for many people, but really it can be anything that you are allowing to influence you negatively.  Ask yourself this:  Is there anything that you consistently look forward to more than your relationship with the Lord and getting to know Him better?  If something just popped into your mind, that’s a sign that you might need to decrease something so that He might increase in your life.

The Spiritual Diet Plan then is the process by which we narrow and eliminate those distracting influences which get in the way of the type of relationship that the Lord wants to have with us.  In their place we must add and build up those things which will influence us for the good and support Christ as the center of our existence.  It’s past time that we as believers take a hard look at our own lives and proclaim loudly by our actions that absolutely nothing is more important to us than our Savior.

Is there anything that you have identified in your life this week that might need to be narrowed or eliminated so that you might have a stronger relationship to God?  And, what are you observing about other Believers around you?  What common distractions and negative influences might you help them overcome through your prayers and encouragement?

 

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Who is Sitting at Your Table Tonight?

September 3, 2013 by

Jesus,Holy Spirit, Influence, quiet timeYesterday we discussed how everything that we put into our bodies influences us.  Today we will look at the things that we spend time with and how they influence us in return.  Let us paint a mental picture to hopefully make a point.

Having guests for dinner can be challenging.  You have to decide what to serve and when to serve and where to seat each guest.  Being a good host and practicing good hospitality is a skill and a blessing to everyone, when it’s done properly.

Get it wrong, however, and you end up with embarrassed and sometimes unhappy guests.  If you serve your vegan aunt a steak and your lactose intolerant friend a cheeseburger, they aren’t going to eat and will go hungry.  Likewise, serving food that is overcooked or getting cold because it’s been sitting out too long won’t make anyone happy.

How about that seating arrangement?  If you are fortunate enough to have friends and family where everyone gets along then you should be very thankful!  Many people don’t have that luxury and must be very careful about who sits next to whom or there will be grumbling and complaining if not outright hostility.  Some people just don’t mix well and it will be your job as host to make sure that anyone who causes a problem is asked to leave so that they don’t upset your other guests.

Do you remember all of those influences that we talked about yesterday?  The ones you let in your house?  They are now sitting at the table of your mind and your heart.  If you are saved (and I pray that you are!) then Jesus is also sitting at the table of your mind and your heart.  

How much time will you give each guest and how are you going to arrange them?  Will there be any guests that you simply must ask to leave?

I hope we agree that Jesus must be first at our table.  Jesus must get the best seat and the best that we have to offer.  Jesus is patient and kind, however, and will not force us to listen to Him or to spend any time with Him at all.  Jesus is the type of guest who brings more to the party than the host but will never force the host to take anything from Him.  Jesus wants to bless our table, every single day.

Jesus wants to sit quietly with us, talk, and let us discover who He is through intimate conversation.  Jesus will even feed us out of the good things that He has brought to our table if we will be humble enough to ask.  Jesus delights in nourishing His children, and his gifts are always perfect.

As for those others who we have invited in and now sit at our table?  As we make Jesus the head of our table and the focus of our gathering, it becomes more and more important that the other guests agree with our arrangement and support our effort.  One bad guest can ruin the entire party out of rudeness or hostility.  A good guest will recognize the guest of honor and defer to Him and not try to steal the glory or the spotlight.  The best guests will even join in the celebration and help to honor and glorify He who sits at the head of our table.  These types of guests are keepers, and should have a regular place at our table!

The moral is this:  It matters what we see and hear.  It matters who (Who) we spend our time with and what we spend our time doing.  It also matters how we spend time with our Lord and how we order our lives around Him.

How much time did you spend with the Lord today?  Did you do anything special during that time with Him?

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Who is Invited to Your House Today?

September 2, 2013 by

House of God,Holy Spirit, InfluenceOr do you not know that your body is the (house) of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19 NKJV)

Lately, I have been clued in to a very important fact.  As I began to understand this fact and make changes accordingly, my walk with the Lord has improved dramatically.  Would you like to know what this fact is?  Here it is:  everything that I put into my body has an influence on me.

This includes things like food and drink but also things that I see and hear.

There’s plenty of information available about the effects of eating a diet that is high in fat, sugar and processed food.  Hopefully we all realize by now that such a diet is bad for us and can cause serious long term damage to the bodies that God gave us.  If we eat better we will feel better; that much is known.  But that’s not entirely what this post is about.

Much less is being said about what we choose to see and hear on a daily basis.  As a 21st century person with internet access we have, literally, millions of choices in terms of what we will allow to enter our bodies through our eyes and ears.  And remember, everything we put into our bodies has an influence on us.

As we discovered last week, we are always in submission to something.  We either yield to our flesh and the old man or we yield to the Spirit and produce fruit.  Realizing this, we need to be very careful that the things that we see and hear are encouraging fruit production and not the glorification of the flesh.

Even some seemingly innocent things can be harmful to our walk in the Spirit if they are consumed too much or with the wrong attitude.  Here is an example from my own life:  From January until April of 2013 I read around three fiction books a week.  Being an avid and fairly speedy reader and working in a bookstore meant I had a lot of opportunity and access to all kinds of books.  I even started the year with the goal of reading 100 books; after all, reading is good for you, right?

My mind became filled with the worlds and the characters that I was reading about to the point that I often found myself thinking about the book I was reading or had just finished.  I began to examine the characters and situations in my head and relive my favorite parts.  My head got so cluttered with these things that pretty soon I was barely hearing God at all.  There was simply no room left for him because I was completely preoccupied with fiction.

These weren’t bad books in terms of morals or content.  Many of them were well written and contained some truly upstanding characters.  In short, it wasn’t so much the books themselves that were causing the problem.  It was the amount of them I was reading and how they were causing me to exclude my Lord from my thought life.  I needed more God and less fluff.  And  I believe there are many other Christians out in the world today who need the same thing.

I have a little notebook that I carry around with me so that when I get an idea for the blog or have something I need to remember I can quickly jot it down.  Not too long ago I wrote “the amount of love, joy and peace I experience is in direct proportion to the amount of time I spend with the Holy Spirit“.  To spend time with the Holy Spirit we must be in the right frame of mind and free of distraction.  To make sure we stay in the right frame of mind and live a life that is free of distraction we need to be very careful what we see and hear.  Tomorrow, we will take this idea a little bit further.

Are there any distractions in your life that you have had to cut out recently?   I would love to hear from you!

 

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The Goal Post

August 31, 2013 by

Goals,Dreams,PrayersDespite the title, this post is not going to be about football.  (Although it is rather appropriate considering today is opening day for most college football teams.)  More specifically, this is going to be a post about goals for Matthew515.com with a look back at the previous month.

I want to be completely transparent about Matthew515.com. As the site grows and begins to accept donations and generate income I will, at the end of each month, post those numbers here for all to see.  My hope and prayer is that the site be self sufficient and generate income for my family and to the glory of God’s kingdom as I try to do what He has called me to do.

A word about supporting the site:  Any book or product you see with linked text is an Amazon link.  If you click the link and end up purchasing a product through Amazon this site will get a small percentage of that sale.  Likewise the Amazon banner on the right side of the page; if you click it and then buy anything from Amazon the site gets a small percentage.  It’s a very quick and easy way of supporting the site that doesn’t cost you anything extra.

I have also set a goal for unique visitors each month.  It’s a big goal, and frankly, it’s probably impossible for me alone.  Thankfully, I am not alone.  I have placed my faith and my trust in the Lord and I believe in setting goals that only God can accomplish.  That way, there’s no doubt that He provided and He gets all the credit and all the glory.  I am praying for 10,000 unique visitors per month as a site goal.  Like I said, it’s a very big goal.

August is the first complete month for Matthew515.com after the site was completed on July 23rd.  This being the last day of the month I will post the numbers for August and when we reach the end of September I will post those numbers and so on.  This will give us a very real picture of how the site is growing, how God is working, and hopefully be of interest to you as well.

This has been and will continue to be a journey of faith.  I am excited about what God is going to do and I look forward to each step along the way.  I will work like it’s up to me and pray like it’s up to God and leave the results to Him.  I want to be found faithful and I want to do exactly what God has called me to do.   Please pray for me and my family as we continue this journey.

And now for the numbers:

Unique Visitors: 759 (This is the number we are praying will one day meet or exceed 10,000.  We have a long way to go but this is an excellent start!)

Number of Visits: 1,521 (Avg. of 2.0 visits per person)

Pages viewed: 7,458 (Avg. of 4.9 pages per visit)

Income: $1.57 (Via Google Adsense Ads viewed)

 

Thus ends our first monthly summary and I appreciate you taking the time to read it and to support the site and the ministry.  As always, please leave any comments or suggestions in the spaces below.

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Devotional Guides Are Like People

August 27, 2013 by

devotionalguidesarelikepeopleDevotional guides are meant to help us as we read and study God’s word.  Devotional guides are written for specific topics, specific books of the bible, specific periods of time and sometimes even about specific Biblical figures.  There’s even a devotional guide for The Daniel Fast book that I just purchased; so far it’s been very informative!

Clearly, there’s a range of devotional guides available and I hope you have one (or more) that you use regularly.

When I make the statement that devotional guides are like people, what I really mean to say is that they come in all shapes and sizes and that their contents are as varied as their covers. At my house is a perfect example of this.   Vicki and I are currently using two very different devotionals on a daily basis that are each excellent in their own way.  And they couldn’t be more different.

Jesus Calling

Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, is tremendously popular.  It is a 365 day devotional that contains a paragraph or two of God talking to you (I say “you” but these are notes Sarah took in her prayer journal as if Jesus was talking to her and that’s how she wrote them down) and then two or three bible verses that pertain to the devotional text.  It’s easy to read.  It’s comforting.  It tends to be short and to the point and is perfect for when you are time crunched but still desire to be spiritually fed.

I have very much enjoyed reading Jesus Calling these past few months and I can see why so many people read and recommend it.  And it’s available in about 12 different sizes and covers and even has a kids version, so there’s likely to be one that fits your lifestyle.

My Utmost for His Highest

Then there is My Utmost for His Highest.  Compiled by Gertrude Hobbs after the death of her husband Oswald Chambers, this is a 365 day selection of his sermons and teachings.  It was first published in 1924 and is considered to be one of the most popular religious books ever written.

My Utmost for His Highest is tough reading.  Not only did Mr. Chambers use larger words and more complex sentences than we are perhaps used to seeing in 2013, he was also a very intelligent man who was not afraid to challenge believers with hard truths.  Mr. Chambers pulls no punches in delivering his sermons and lessons and sometimes what he has to say is difficult to wrap your mind around.  Rather like raw vegetables are the lessons of Mr. Chambers; they may not taste good but they are very good for you.

The really neat thing about both books is that our Lord is in both of them.  “Jesus Calling” contains the same Jesus who said “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  “My Utmost for His Highest” contains the Jesus who told the rich young ruler “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:21).

The Lord’s Words to Us

Two different statements made by our Lord in two different situations yet both were exactly right for those who heard them.  God always says what we need, when we need it and both of these fine devotional books contain Godly wisdom for those who are searching.  However, do not mistake a devotional guide as a substitute for the Bible!  The Bible has no substitute and is a living word that is designed to speak to you personally, in whatever situation you find yourself.   Make reading the Bible your priority in your devotional time and then, as you feel led, seek out a devotional guide that can enrich and enhance your worship experience.  That’s the only way it should be done.

Are you currently reading and using a devotional guide in your study time?  If so, which one and would you recommend it?  Feel free to comment below.

 

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Monday Music Musings

August 26, 2013 by

Third Day,Newsboys,Amy Grant,Barlow GirlI live a musical life.  It’s a rare day that I don’t have a song playing in my head at least some of the time.  As I’ve previously written about, I enjoy music from many genres and in many styles.  Music energizes me and lifts my spirit and in many cases turns my heart towards my Heavenly Father in praise.

This particular song has been on my mind and in my heart a lot lately.  It’s as much a prayer as it’s a song and it’s beautiful in its simplicity.  Listen to the words and hear the important message of “Lead Me Lord” as sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.  TBC choir and our faithful leader Milena, I dedicate this one to you.  Bless you for what you do.

“Lead Me Lord” is an amazing song and it is a great place to start our Monday music musing but it isn’t where we will stop.  We live in an amazing time where anyone with internet access and a computer has access to a huge selection of music.  I’ve been a music fan for most of my life so narrowing down just a few for a post like this is sometimes difficult.  But not today.

As I lay down to sleep last night the songs that I wanted to celebrate today were right there in my head.  I think the Lord knew I needed some encouragement and strengthening and was ministering to me even then.  Listening to these songs this morning has really touched me and excited me; it’s great to be a child of God!

I get tears in my eyes every time I listen to this next song.  Every time.  The words and the music together form a powerful combination of hope and praise that just makes my heart feel like it is about to burst with joy.  This is the Newsboys singing “He Reigns”.

The Newsboys and their music have meant a lot to me over the years.  I have plans to do a piece that covers their ministry and discography and to share more of the unique gift that God has given them.

One more for today.  This is a song from my formative teenage years and I can remember listening to this song as I was approaching high school graduation and how it filled me with a sense of purpose.  It’s a hopeful song that is sung with power and energy and it’s 90’s rock right to the core.  Most appropriately for Matthew515.com, this is White Heart singing “Light a Candle”.  I’m posting the lyrics for this one underneath the video because they form a message that still resounds to this day.

Lyrics:
A flame is rising up in you,
A spark is struck,
Electric blue,
For the hand of love has brushed your eyes, and now it’s love that shines,
Light a candle.

There’s a surge of hope within your heart and you want to play a bigger part for you heard the word that Jesus said,
You want to turn the world upon its head,
Now lift your hands up high into the sky and light a candle.

A city of faith can not be hid,
Let the fire burn on the holy wind,
So if you want to change your world and be a living flame, light a candle.

So, on a cold and moonless night, in your window place your candlelight, and let it burn so all can see your holy torch of liberty,
And pray for love, pray for peace,
Pray the world will be released from the fear that locks us in the dark, from the hate that pulls us all apart,
In the ashes there will rise a sacred flame,
Light a candle,
Light it up now.

You’re back may be against a wall but you’ve seen the love that conquers all,
You know that he can change your world, so be a living flame,
Light a candle.

Oh, light a candle,
Oh, light a candle.

You can change your world if you believe,
Do you know you can light up the world?
Light up, light up,
Light up, light up,
Light up, light up,
Light up the world.

Light a candle,
See love shine,
Light a candle,
Light a candle,
All Gods people, all God’s people,
Would you light a candle?
Let it shine,
Oh, let it shine,
Light a candle,
See the face of all the people, see them shine.

I hope that you have been sincerely blessed by the Monday Music Musing’s and that you go about your day encouraged and with a song in your heart.

Do you have a favorite song that really gets your spiritual juices flowing?  I’d love for you to share in the comment section below!

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

August 19, 2013 by

The Circle Maker Book ReviewThere has been a consistent theme in my life recently.  That theme is prayer.  How fitting, then, that the book reviewed this month for Matthew515 is a book about prayer.

The author, Mark Batterson, opens the book with the story of Honi.  Honi was an Israelite sage who was known for his powerful prayers.  In a season of great drought, Honi decided to intercede for his people.  The story goes that Honi drew a circle around himself in the sand and told God that unless He sent showers of rain and gracious favor on the land that Honi would not move from his circle.  God sent both rain and blessings in honor of Honi’s prayer.

From that simple story, The Circle Maker introduces the power of prayer.

Mark Batterson is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., and it is clear from his book that he lives a life given over to prayer.  With humor and energy Mark shares how God has used prayer over and over again in his life, and in the lives of people he has met, to meet some truly incredible needs.

Mark’s own story of how he came to D.C and started National Community Church is a story of how God uses prayer to do things that only He could do.  Interwoven in Mark’s story are stories of other people and other places where prayer has had a truly miraculous impact simply because God’s people asked Him to work.

There is a powerful message and a powerful blessing contained in The Circle Maker; if you are willing to work like it’s up to you and pray like it’s up to God, then God will amaze you with what He can accomplish through you and around you.

There are several things that I really appreciate about The Circle Maker.  The first, and the reason that I want everyone I know to read it, is that it will bless your socks off.  (In fact, if you decide to read it you might as well go ahead and remove your socks anyway because you will be standing on holy ground.  This book is absolutely heaven sent!)  I had tears of joy in my eyes on multiple occasions and I rejoiced to see what God is able to do through those whose lives are lived as a prayer unto Him.

Encouragement of this magnitude is powerful stuff and it just might jumpstart your prayer life and walk with God.  I know it did for me.  So please, read The Circle Maker and expect to laugh, smile, cry and rejoice in what your God can do.

I appreciate that while Mark lays out a great foundation for what prayer is and how it works he also understands that it isn’t the circle that has power and it isn’t just because we ask that we receive.  Mark’s entire book points to the Heavenly Father.  The focus is always on God; it is always God that gets the glory.  That’s how I know that this book is heaven sent.

Mark points out many prayers he prayed that were not answered like he wanted them to be and some prayers that have yet to be answered at all.  Prayer is not a “name it, claim it” enterprise and it’s not a way that we can get everything we want.  Real prayer opens a channel in us for God to work His mighty acts without violating our free will.  

God is for us.  Always.  He wants to move and to work in our lives and to pour out His great love on us.  Prayer is the way we get into sync with God’s plan (which is always the best plan!) and when done genuinely and consistently amazing things can happen.  Amazing things will happen.

Reading The Circle Maker makes me want to get involved with God’s plan in a way that I’ve never done before.  Since reading it God has filled me with a holy anticipation of what is to come.  I have never been more excited to be a child of God than I am right now.  Read The Circle Maker and prepare to be amazed.

ISBN-13: 978-0310330738

Publisher: Zondervan

Publication date: December 18, 2012 (reprint)

Pages: 226

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