Amazing Read: Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson

Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson is the most amazing book I’ve read in a long time.

It’s set up like a 40-day devotional, but I couldn’t put it down. I read it in 2-3 days and I’m glad I did. On a scale of 1-10, The Circle Maker was a 15, and Draw the Circle was a 20. It was that good.

Draw the Circle picks up where The Circle Maker left off. The opening story is a blurb about Rodney “Gypsy” Smith (1860-1947), a British evangelist who was known for his ability to ignite revivals.

Batterson writes: “Gypsy revealed his secret to a delegation of revival seekers who sought an audience with him. They wanted to know how they could make a difference with their lives the way he had with his. His answer was simple yet profound–as timely and timeless now as it was a hundred years ago. He gave them this advice:

“Go home. Lock yourself in your room. Kneel down in the middle of the floor, and with a piece of chalk draw a circle around yourself. There, on your knees, pray fervently and brokenly that God would start a revival within that chalk circle” (page 9).

Batterson builds on that profound piece of advice throughout the book. He talks about:

• How to start a personal prayer life;
• Startling surprises you’ll start to see as God moves miraculously in your own life;
• The impact you can have when you become sold-out to God;
• How to keep a journal;
• Stepping out in faith when all you can see is the first step;
• The power of just one idea, if it’s a God-idea;
• Learning to perceive what God is doing;
• How to cultivate your ability to hear God and speak prophetically; and
• TONS more.

I was an underlining machine while reading this book. Every page was like it had been written just for me. Every chapter seemed to be the encouraging word I needed to hear at that exact moment.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Draw the Circle:

• “You’ll emerge from this forty-day prayer challenge, just like Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
• “And when you pray to God regularly, irregular things happen on a regular basis.”
• “The plans of God are only revealed in the presence of God.”
• “As you press into God’s presence, old sinful desires die, and new holy desires are birthed in your spirit.”
• “…sometimes we need to press into the presence of God a little longer. God responds to extra effort with an extra blessing.”
• “…prayer is the way we recognize potential in others.”

This book is incredible. It will move you. It will inspire you. It will bring you weeping before the Lord, as He touches your heart with His own. I really recommend that you get it as soon as you can, and devour it. 🙂

In conclusion, I wanted to add that Draw the Circle is an easy read whether you’re an avid reader or not.

It reads fast because it’s full of really cool stories. Also, it physically measures about 5″ x 7″–smaller than most books–so its 226 pages read much faster than other books whose pages are physically larger. So I really recommend it for readers and non-readers alike.

I bought my copy at Lifeway for $12.99. Amazon is selling it for $9.98 as of this writing. You can buy Draw the Circle on Amazon here (my affiliate link)

Have you read Draw the Circle? If so, what did you think about it? Leave your comments below!