Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children

What is "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children" by Mark Batterson about?

• Focus on Prayer for Children: The book centers on the transformative power of intentional, persistent prayer for one's children and family.
• Circle Maker Concept: Batterson introduces the concept of "praying circles," inspired by the legend of Honi the Circle Maker, as a metaphor for praying with faith, persistence, and specificity.
• Practical Strategies: The book provides seven practical "prayer circles" or methods to help parents pray more effectively and creatively for their children.
• Legacy and Generational Impact: It emphasizes the idea that prayer is the greatest legacy parents can leave, shaping the destinies of their children and future generations.

Why should I read "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children" by Mark Batterson?

• Empowers Parental Prayer: The book equips parents with tools and inspiration to pray more intentionally and powerfully for their children.
• Addresses Parenting Challenges: Batterson candidly discusses the struggles and failures of parenting, offering hope and practical advice rooted in faith.
• Builds Spiritual Legacy: It encourages readers to think generationally, showing how prayers can impact not just children, but grandchildren and beyond.
• Accessible and Relatable: The book is filled with personal stories, biblical examples, and real-life testimonies, making it easy to connect with and apply.

What are the key takeaways from "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children"?

• Prayer is a Parent’s Highest Privilege: Consistent, faith-filled prayer is more important than perfect parenting.
• Seven Prayer Circles: The book outlines seven specific ways to pray for your children, including circling God’s promises, making prayer lists, and forming prayer circles with others.
• Prayers Shape Destiny: Prayers are described as prophetic, shaping the future and leaving a spiritual legacy.
• Practical Application: The book offers actionable steps, such as writing prayer journals, creating prayer mantras, and praying through the Bible for your children.

What is the "Circle Maker" method in Mark Batterson's book, and how does it apply to praying for children?

• Inspired by Honi the Circle Maker: The method is based on the story of Honi, who drew a circle in the sand and prayed persistently for rain until God answered.
• Metaphor for Persistent Prayer: "Drawing circles" means praying with determination, specificity, and faith, refusing to give up until God responds.
• Application to Parenting: Parents are encouraged to "circle" their children in prayer, covering every aspect of their lives and futures.
• Not Magical, but Biblical: The act is symbolic, rooted in biblical stories like the Israelites circling Jericho, emphasizing perseverance in prayer.

What are the "Seven Prayer Circles" described in "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children"?

• 1. Circling the Promises of God: Praying specific biblical promises over your children’s lives.
• 2. Making Prayer Lists: Creating and maintaining lists of prayer requests and answered prayers for your children.
• 3. Creating Prayer Mantras: Developing short, memorable prayers or blessings to repeat regularly.
• 4. Praying a Hedge of Protection: Asking God to protect your children spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
• 5. Forming Prayer Circles: Praying with others—family, friends, or church community—for your children.
• 6. Praying Through the Bible: Reading and praying scripture specifically for your children.
• 7. Passing On the Blessing: Intentionally blessing your children and leaving a spiritual legacy.

How does Mark Batterson suggest parents can "circle the promises of God" for their children?

• Identify Relevant Promises: Parents are encouraged to find and claim specific Bible verses that align with their children’s needs and destinies.
• Pray with Confidence: Praying God’s promises gives parents assurance that they are praying in alignment with God’s will.
• Personalize Scripture: Batterson suggests turning verses into personalized prayers, such as praying Luke 2:52 for children to grow in wisdom and favor.
• Document and Remember: Writing down these promises and prayers helps track God’s faithfulness and encourages persistent prayer.

What practical advice does "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children" give for making prayer a daily habit?

• Leverage Daily Routines: Use natural rhythms like bedtime, mealtime, or school drop-off as cues for prayer.
• Short, Consistent Touchpoints: Even ten minutes of prayer or devotion with children each day can have a lasting impact.
• Creative Reminders: Use prayer journals, lunch box notes, or posters with scriptural blessings to keep prayer central.
• Model and Involve: Let children see and hear you pray, and involve them in the process to teach them how to pray themselves.

How does Mark Batterson address the challenges and failures of parenting in his book?

• Honest Acknowledgment: Batterson openly shares his own parenting mistakes and feelings of inadequacy.
• Redemptive Perspective: He emphasizes that mistakes are opportunities to model humility, apology, and growth for children.
• Prayer Covers Shortcomings: The book reassures parents that while they will never be perfect, their prayers can cover a multitude of sins and shortcomings.
• Encouragement to Persevere: Parents are encouraged not to give up, but to keep praying and trusting God’s grace for themselves and their children.

What role does community and forming prayer circles with others play in "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children"?

• Tag-Team Parenting: Batterson highlights the importance of spouses, extended family, and church community in supporting children through prayer.
• Shared Burdens: Forming prayer circles with other parents, especially those with similar struggles (e.g., parents of prodigals), provides mutual encouragement and powerful intercession.
• Laying on of Hands: The book encourages physical acts of blessing, such as laying hands on children while praying, to create spiritual bonds.
• Children as Prayer Partners: Parents are also encouraged to let their children pray for them, fostering a two-way spiritual relationship.

How does "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children" by Mark Batterson encourage parents to leave a spiritual legacy?

• Prayer as Legacy: The book asserts that prayers outlive the pray-er, impacting children, grandchildren, and beyond.
• Documenting Faith: Writing letters, keeping prayer journals, and even gifting Bibles filled with personal notes are suggested ways to pass on faith.
• Blessing the Next Generation: Parents are urged to intentionally bless their children at key life stages, following biblical examples.
• Breaking Negative Cycles: Even if parents did not inherit a spiritual legacy, they can start one for future generations through prayer and faithfulness.

What are some of the best quotes from "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children" and what do they mean?

• "You’ll never be a perfect parent, but you can be a praying parent." – Emphasizes that prayer, not perfection, is the most important parental responsibility.
• "Prayer turns ordinary parents into prophets who shape the destinies of their children." – Suggests that parents’ prayers have a prophetic, future-shaping power.
• "Our prayers never die. They live on in the lives of those we pray for." – Highlights the enduring impact of intercessory prayer across generations.
• "God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God." – Encourages parents to pray with faith and audacity, trusting God for big things.

What are some advanced or less obvious concepts in "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children" that parents should understand?

• Prayers as Prophecies: Batterson teaches that prayers are not just requests but prophetic acts that script the future.
• Praying Through Pain: The book addresses how to pray through suffering, disappointment, and unanswered prayers, trusting God’s greater purposes.
• Spiritual Warfare: Parents are encouraged to plead the blood of Jesus over their children and recognize the reality of spiritual opposition.
• Holy Complications: Blessings often bring new challenges, but these "holy complications" are evidence of God’s work and should be embraced with faith and prayer.

How can parents practically implement the teachings of "Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children" by Mark Batterson in their families?

• Start Small and Specific: Begin by choosing one or two prayer circles to focus on, such as making a prayer list or creating a family prayer mantra.
• Adapt to Your Family: Customize the methods to fit your family’s routines, personalities, and needs, rather than trying to do everything at once.
• Involve Children: Teach children to pray, let them participate in family prayer times, and encourage them to pray for others.
• Persevere and Trust: Keep praying persistently, even when results are not immediate, trusting that God is at work in ways you may not see right away.