Outside The Circle – Blogging about The Circle Maker - Chapter 2

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Chapter 2 - Circle Makers

• Summary:
  • Prayer circles are an important part of our prayer life
  • Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers
  • God is for you
  • God is not a genie in a bottle, drawing circles starts with discerning God’s will
  • Miracles are by-products of prayers that were prayed by you or for you
  • God won’t do it (certain expressions of His power) unless we pray for it
  • If you draw prayer circles, God will answer those prayers at some point

• Problems:
  • God is offended/insulted by little prayers, prayers that do not include the impossible or bold - I think that God wants us to commune with Him about everything in our lives, not just the ‘part the red sea’ prayers. I do think that He wants us to be honest in our prayer lives, but I don’t believe He gets offended by prayer. Phil 4:6 (Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything)
  • You are only one prayer away from a dream fulfilled, a promise kept, or a miracle performed - God works in His time and not our own
  • Prayers are prophecies - Prayers are our communication with God. It’s still His will and power that will work, and He’s not bound to whatever we pray
  • Genie in a bottle - How does that statement line up with the story of Honi? It doesn’t say that he was a prophet and talked to God, it doesn’t say that he spent time in prayer before drawing his circle to discern God’s will. It doesn’t say that God held the land in a drought and was ready to lift it at Honi’s urging. Where is the discernment here?
  • The concept that if you draw prayer circles then God will answer those prayers is misleading. God promises to answer prayer, circles are not mentioned.

• Solutions:
  • God’s offended by small prayers - Phil 4:6 - “Come to God about everything,” Ephesians 6:18 - “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests”
  • Only one prayer away - Loads of verses about praying continually, praying for long periods of time, pray constantly for you - 1 Thes 5:17 “pray continually”
  • Prayers are prophecies - Isa 55:8 - “My thoughts are not your thoughts”
  • John 16:24 - Jesus tells them to ask for things in his name