From: circlenwhcm.org
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16b
“Draw the Circle” is all about prayer. It is about disciplines, postures and plans to approach boldly the throne of God with the desires, frustrations and pains of the human life. Prayer; heartfelt, honest, painful, labored and genuine prayer from the hearts of righteous servants of God has the power to change the circumstances and objects in our lives because it impacts the very heart of God.
As we kick-off fully “Draw the Circle” as a staff, I wanted to place an image in your heart and mind for what a “Prayer circle” would look like for the NWHCM staff and family. How is this going to help? How will this change us? How will this provide depth, insight, intimacy and community in the lives of righteous people serving with passion and being overwhelmed with life?
It comes back to circles. Mark Batterson has brought the concept of circles into a new perspective with his books. “The Circle Maker” and “Draw the Circle” are two of the most inspired books I have ever read. And in many ways, the circle is the key metaphor to the prayer experience.
Circles are unique. When I perform marriage ceremonies I talk about the circle represented by the rings. Circles are endless. They have no beginning point and no ending point. They represent eternity and they help us to see love, grace and intimacy in new ways that ignite hope, passion and desire of the best kinds in our heart.
For NWHCM the circle we draw is a circle made up of three words:
RESCUE-RESTORE-REDEEM
If you picture those words in a circle you begin to see the eternal heartbeat of our Heavenly Father. From the moment of the fall in Genesis God has provided our rescue through his love for us, our restoration through sanctification and our redemption through Jesus. It becomes an eternal and life changing cycle of love and grace from our Heavenly Father. And it flows from his heart, to our heart and into the lives of those we touch through the power of the Holy Spirit; and through prayer.
Over the next 40 days we will be walking through “Draw the Circle.” My challenge to you is to embrace this as a spiritual growth assignment. Embrace the vulnerability of sharing your struggles with those who can pray and encourage you. Embrace the joy of being a support for those who need your prayers. Embrace the bold confidence of approaching God through the grace and love of Jesus.
Each prayer is a prayer of rescue, restoration or redemption. Each moment before the throne of God is a moment changing eternity. Each encouraging word is a word that breathes life, health and grace into the heart of our fellow travelers. And each circle of prayer is an eternal moment that displays the power of Heavenly Father.
“Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” James 5:17-18
Praying for you in this moment!!