8/10
+The author delivers on his promise
+The novel teaches readers a step by step process to find their voice with God
-the author plays too much on words. It reaches a point of annoyance.
+Despite the flaw above, the author apologizes (humbly) for playing on words
+The author glorifies God for his work
-Wished to see more citations from scripture embedded into the novel
+Overall advice is strong, with even some extreme suggestions that should be done to get even closer to God
A 40 day devotional that can be consumed by a devoted reader in a few weeks, Draw the Circle is a pleasant read. It took me awhile to get through this book, only because I wanted to percolate on the advice given and embed it into my prayer life.
Readers will meet the first sentence when they begin this novel: “The forty day prayer challenge is going to change your life.”
Ultimately, Batterson delivers on his promise: this book will alter your prayer life; this book is powerful; this book will change your life.
Here’s a memorable quotation, taken right from the pages: “Our potential is directly proportional to our prayer life, it is the single greatest indicator of our success.”
Well then, how does Batterson suggest we alter our prayer life? I can’t spoil his insights, but I can say that Day 24, “Find your Voice” is fantastic. The author offers clear steps to find God’s voice, and for my relationship with God, I feel that this section of the book really influenced me.
Although Batterson’s content is strong, his writing is alright. He painstakingly plays a lot on words, for example: “the more we pray, the more prophetic we become. The less we pray, the more pathetic we become.” This technique heavily salts each chapter of the book, and would have knocked off a few points on this review, if Batterson did not apologize and admit to his play on words. An apology shows modesty. An apology won HUGE humble brownie points in this reader’s heart! Well done Mark Batterson–thanks for being a humble Christian!
Most importantly, I loved how Mark Batterson attributed all of his success to God. This book is a living and breathing entity of God’s work, or so I think Batterson would say.
I wished to read more scripture citations. It felt a little distant at times when only one verse was cited per chapter. That said, Batterson does overflow the pages with testimonies of God.
The advice in this book is strong, and after successfully embedding some of the strategies discussed in this book, I have noticed a huge change in my prayer life. My prayer is deeper; my prayer is more creative; I even crack jokes with God now! There are some extreme pieces of advice in this book that are not easy to execute. That does not mean it should not be tried.