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I have continued to read The Circle Maker this month and this is the question I found myself returning to …

What if reading became a form of praying and praying became a form of reading? (page 96)

Interesting question for sure. Very thought provoking. And Mark Batterson continues to explain …

The paradigm shift happens when you realize that the Bible wasn’t meant to be read through; the Bible was meant to be prayed through. (page 96)

I sat recalling seasons of intense prayer which usually included holding onto a promise from Scripture and praying God would bring it to pass in my life. I thought of those times, when desperate for God to change a situation or bring healing where I reminded Him of His Word. I reached for my Bible and began flipping through the pages, looking at my very own handwriting in the columns. I found dates recorded, dates connected to verses and prayers and circumstances. And as I continued flipping, all I could see was the faithfulness of God, my God, to me and to His Word …

  • In 1984, when going through an intense situation, I was often reminded: “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines, even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren, even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle bars are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! ”             (Habakkuk 3:17-18, NLT)
  • Often over the years, when praying for the way in which my husband would always love me: “This one is bone from my bone and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman’, because she was taken from ‘man’. (Genesis 2:23, NLT)
  • July 13, 2007, when I heard my daughter was pregnant with my first grandchild: “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.” (Psalm 103:17-18)
  • March 4, 2008, the day of Sophia’s birth as I realized she was a part of my thousand generations: “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” (Deuteronomy 7:9, NIV)
  • So many times I had prayed this one for the lives of my own two children: “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”      (Isaiah 44:3, NIV)
  • On May 27, 2009 as the Chrysler dealership was lost and income was greatly impacted: “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
  • Then there was when it was thought my husband had heart issues and would require a pacemaker: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” (Proverbs 21:1, NIV)
  • When my son was discovered to need speech therapy, God assured me: “The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.” (Isaiah 32:4,NIV)
  • When someone close faced issues with a family will: “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” (Psalm 27:10, NIV)
  • On February 11, 2010, when Dad had skin lymphoma, God assured with: “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” (Psalm 112:7, NIV)
  • On August 10, 2012, on the day mom had her stents: “The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life.” (Psalm 121:7,NIV)
  • On June 6, 2008, as a loved one feared traumatic hair loss: “Yet not one of them {sparrows} will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-30, NIV)
  • I prayed for myself and my influence in the lives of my grandchildren and felt assurance: “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded now lives in you also.” (2 Timothy 1:5, NIV)
  • On April 27, 2010, as we made a decision to leave a church after many years, I feared being without a “shepherd” and God assured me: “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to spring of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)
  • As I faced leading a Bible Study for the very first time on my own, God brought assurance as I prayed this verse many times throughout that study year: “Let my words fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” (Deuteronomy 32:2, NIV)

 

And I could share so many more. As I took this trip down “Memory Lane”, photo-181I came to realize Mark Batterson is so right when he wrote:

Reading is the way you get through the Bible; prayer is the way you get the Bible through you. (page 96)

 

GetInline-8This is Day 27 of 31 Days Of Going In Circles. You can find the entire series here .

Today I am joining … Playdates With God and Unforced Rhythms and Salt & Light and Monday Musings and Blessed but Stressed and Create With Joy and Making Your Home Sing and Good Morning Mondays and Motivation Mon. .