Pray Continually – Lessons from The Circle Maker

As our Thursday morning Bible Study Ladies closed the pages on another study, I found myself reflecting on something deeper. Since we began meeting, we’ve learned so much together. But this time, I told the group that I want to do better at living out what we learn.

It’s one thing to study God’s Word; it’s another to let it transform our everyday lives.

We just finished The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, and something about this particular study has stayed with me. I’m not quite ready to let it go. There were so many insights about prayer that made me pause and want to dig deeper. So today, I’m going back through the book and reflecting on the lessons that stood out most.

Over the years, I’ve learned that review and reflection help plant truths in my heart and mind. So here’s an idea: let’s take 40 days (a number that’s both biblical and supported by neuroscience) to reflect and pray through 40 lessons on prayer. Forty days will give our hearts and minds time to form a holy habit.

40 Lessons in Prayer

1. What is my Jericho? What is God calling me to circle in prayer?

2. “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51) – Can I clearly name the promises, miracles, and dreams God has placed on my heart?

   

   
   

3. Pray through, not just for.

4. The more you pray, the bigger your dreams become—and the more you’ll need to pray.

5. God doesn’t fit into my left-brain logic.

6. “You can’t never always sometimes tell.” — Anything can happen!

7. “Is there a limit to My power?” (Numbers 11:23) — Pray prayers that scare me half to death.

8. God said it, I believe it, and that settles it. Seek and pray God’s promises.

9. God is pursuing me. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:6)

10. God does the heavy lifting.

    

11. Pray for God to complicate my life—if that’s what draws me closer to Him.

12. God sometimes gets in the way to show me the way.

13. God leads me where I have nowhere to turn but to Him. Trust Him.

14. Pray with the long game in mind.

15. Attend more meetings where the agenda is prayer.

16. What if I approached everything prayerfully—every situation, opportunity, challenge, and person?

17. Life goal: calloused knees and a humble heart.

18. Prayer is priming—it prepares my heart to see and seize God-ordained opportunities all around me.

    

19. Prayer experiment: Pray hard + Think long = Stay focused.

20. The best prayer is a life well-lived—turn every problem and opportunity into prayer.

21. Prayer and fasting open a new level of perspective and power.

22. Every miracle has a Genesis moment.

23. Prayer lifts me out of the pull of the flesh and into God’s orbit.

24. Make a life goal list—goals give prayer a target.

25. Prayer helps my mind (and heart) notice what God is already doing.

26. God always gets the glory.

27. My prayers may need refining—they rarely hit the bull’s-eye of God’s perfect will right away.

28. God is for me.

29. “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” (Exodus 14)

30. God’s timing is perfect—never early, never late.

31. Amen means so be it.

    

32. The end of a prayer is the beginning of a promise.

33. God is in every detail—nothing is too big or too small.

34. Every prayer blesses the Father’s heart and gives Him an opportunity to show His power.

35. Are my prayers selfless and aligned with God’s purpose?

36. The ultimate goal of prayer isn’t getting an answer—it’s revealing God’s will and glory.

37. Prayer turns life into an adventure.

    

38. “God is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20)

39. Pray like it depends on God, and work like it depends on me.

40. There is no expiration date on prayer.

Whether you choose one lesson a day or focus on all forty, take the next 40 days to get curious about what God might reveal through your prayers.

If you haven’t read The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, I highly encourage you to do so—it’s a powerful reminder that when we draw prayer circles around our hopes, dreams, and people, God moves in miraculous ways.

Let’s commit to praying continually not just for answers, but for transformation.

Father God,Thank You for the gift of prayer the sacred space where my heart meets Yours. Teach me to pray with boldness and patience, to circle Your promises with faith, and to trust Your timing even when I can’t see the way forward. Over these next 40 days, help me listen more than I speak, believe more than I doubt, and rest in the assurance that You are working all things for my good and Your glory.Draw me closer, Lord, and make my life a continual prayer of praise.In Jesus’ name, Amen.