Hey Beautiful!

I am so grateful you are here.

Over the years, I have bought so many different self-development books trying to become a better version of myself.  Some changed me, some I struggled to finish, and most are back on the bookshelf with some sort of bookmark somewhere between chapters 2 and 5.  Looking back, I believe I was looking for something in those books I ended up finding somewhere I never expected.  If I’d known then what I know now, I would be much further ahead, or maybe not.  Maybe that just wasn’t part of my story.

In late summer or early fall 2023, I bought The Daily Bible, and it completely changed how I thought about self-development.  I did make it through the Bible in a year, actually less than, but I did shift from The Daily Bible to The Bible Recap in late fall.  During this period, I decided to spend all my self-development reading time on the Bible.  I stuck with that plan for about two years, and I will forever be grateful!

In my opinion, the Bible contains all the information I need to become the person God created me to be.  I have since started reading books in addition to the Bible, but instead of the average self-help section, I’ve chosen a more Scripture-based approach to my personal growth.  After making this shift, I realized something:  almost every book I picked up resonated with me.  Deeply!

How many times have you read a book that just speaks directly to your spirit?

I can honestly say that, more often than not, the Kingdom-focused books I choose do.  Those are also the books that end up on my To-Read-Again list.

I recently finished my second time through Draw the Circle by Mark Batterson.  It is a follow-up to his book, The Circle Maker.  In The Circle Maker, Batterson tells of a first-century B.C. Jewish scholar, Honi.  Again, this is my recollection of the book’s overview.  A severe drought threatened the community’s existence.  Honi went to the town square, knelt down, drew a circle around himself, and declared he would not leave that circle until God sent rain.  Honi prayed for rain from inside that circle until God sent it.

Draw the Circle is more of a devotional-style book, with a few pages to read each day.  It encourages us to “draw circles” around our requests to God, ultimately helping us develop the habit of persistent prayer.

I have to say, and I believe Batterson would agree, that just because you ‘circle something in prayer’ doesn’t mean God is obligated to answer that prayer in the way you want Him to.  Our prayers still need to be aligned with His will.  

When I think of circling your prayers, I think of the Bible account of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8.  In verse one, it says: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.  For me, this is the heart of the book.  Keep praying.  Don’t lose heart.  Trust God with the answer.

After my 40-day journey with Draw the Circle, I desired to continue on with a study on prayer itself, which I am just getting started on.  I believe that using what I learn through the study and tying it to the habit and faith as described in Batterson’s book will be a powerful combination.

After only a couple of days into my study, I am already realizing how much there is to learn.  Here are a few things I am thinking through:

• Now this is the confidence we have in Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  1 John 5:14

He hears us when we ask according to His will.  The thought that jumped to mind: Does that mean He doesn’t hear us if what we ask isn’t according to His will?  What does it really mean to pray according to His will?

• In Jesus’ name I pray…

I suppose I knew this, but maybe I hadn’t thought deeply about it; praying in His name isn’t like ‘sealing the deal’.  For instance, if I ask God to let me win the lottery and finish off with “In Jesus’ name I pray”, it doesn’t make my prayer a yes.  My study compared it to a mold that shapes our prayers to match Jesus’ character.

• I think my favorite was something about how, once I begin to learn about prayer, I begin a lifetime of learning to pray!  Just another thing that I get to say I will not have right this side of heaven!  And maybe that’s the point; prayer isn’t something to be mastered; it’s a relationship to grow in.

I feel like I ended somewhere different than I thought I would when I started this letter, but hopefully that’s because Jesus took the wheel somewhere along the way.  Honestly, I hope He did, because that is my prayer for all of my letters: that God speaks to me and through me.  After all, He knows best!

Legacy Reflection

For this week’s reflection, take time to think about your prayer life.

• Are your prayers aligned with God’s will?
• Do you ask Him if the desires of your heart are from Him?
• When God doesn’t answer the way I hoped, do I continue to trust Him?
• Are you talking to God only about what you want Him to change, or are you also asking Him to help you become more Christ-like?

I am growing in my prayer life, and I know that will be a continual process.  I look forward to watching the growth that happens along the way.  I have started praying about the desires of my heart because Scripture tells us:

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4 

But I have also learned to add something to that prayer:

God, if the desires of my heart aren’t from you, please remove them from me.  If they are from you, please help me to trust in Your timing and Your way.

What if part of learning to pray isn’t just about asking God for what we want?  What if the most important part is learning to want what He wants?

Love ya,
Laura