I have been reading this book for several weeks now as my devotional reading. A while back that I read Mark Batterson's book, The Circle Maker, but at the same time, I also started his 40 day prayer challenge companion book called Draw the Circle. I sheepishly confess that it took me longer than 40 days to get through it because with moving and a vacation, I didn't read every single day. But my delays were purely self-inflicted and were no reflection on his quality of writing at all! :)

Mark published this book in 2012 after he wrote The Circle Maker, and while you will find some content transferred from the main book to the companion guide, you'll also find a lot of brand new content, some of which was inspired by letters and emails he received in response to the main book. He shared stories people told him after they had begun to pray circles in their own lives, and he added new stories from his journey along the way.

This book is, in format, very much created for daily reading with short chapters and a Bible verse to begin each day's reading. I found within it the same style of underline-worthy phrases and challenges that I have always found in Mark's writing, and it was a good daily guide in learning to pray genuinely and with passion and risk.

I also appreciate that Mark doesn't claim to be a prayer expert or to always pray well. He shares of his own shortcomings and desire/hunger to learn more on the subject, but he also shares incredible stories of moments when God did big things because of prayer.

So if you like a daily reading guide better than a standard book, this would be a great choice for you. Because it's 40 days in length, it would be great for Lent or for any season when you want to mark out a prescribed number of days to pray over something!

I have mixed thoughts about this book: some of the stories were compelling. But am I praying more, and am I praying more earnestly as a result of reading this book? I'm not sure. There is a fine line between praying with great faith and praying presumptuously. The author does mention the dilemma of mistaking God's will for our own, but he doesn't really suggest how to discern between the two. I am going through this book with a small group, and though we have had good conversations, I'm not sure how productive our time has been.

I am reading this book for the sixth or seventh time. Two small groups read it together with me, and then our whole church was challenged to read it for Forty days, so I read it yet again. There is truth in every illustration, and a challenge to pray more and dream big on every page. I have been a Christian for about 60 years and read a lot of books and devotionals, but none have affected my prayer-life as much as this book has. God is answering my prayers as only He can. Delving into the scripture daily is another challenge. I have bought multiple copies and shared it with my friends and neighbors. Reading this book, and putting into practice the suggestions outlined therein, will make you a stronger and more effective prayer warrior.

I loved the Circle Maker and this is a wonderful, inspiring follow up to it. I am 81 years young and found that I can still get on my knees every morning after reading that days message. What a blessing?

c

I would say this book is about cheer leading. It talks about tapping into that divine power of God through prayer and lots of it. While we all could probably use more prayer time, I think we need to guard against praying superficially and Batterson's "any place any time" recommendations seem shallow. I would say the book is not very deep, that is why I say cheer leading, if you need someone to remind you to pray daily, this may help but there are other ways as well. Find what works for you.