Read Time: 3 minutes 15 seconds
Mark Batterson knows something about God-size faith. He has built an incredible ministry in Washington, D.C. and had written books encouraging millions of readers to also have God-sized faith.
He is one of the most influential authors in our generation. The irony is that years ago while sitting in seminary at 22 years old, he was told he had a low aptitude for writing. In the eyes of the world it was a craft he shouldn’t spend time pursuing.
But through years of faith, triumph and prayer, God has used his miraculous journey and talented book writing to bless millions of people.
I’ve been influenced by his books and admire his story, so I invited him to be on my “Strang Report” podcast. We talked about writing books, Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse and pursuing God-sized dreams. Batterson’s journey started with believing for a move of God in Washington D.C., which led him to start a core group called National Community Church in 1996. Just three people showed up to the first service.
Despite what he saw in the natural, Batterson prayed and believed God for something bigger than himself. God led him on a journey to start a 4.7 mile prayer walk around Capitol Hill where he prayed and believed for a harvest of souls. Now 26 years later, National Community Church owns half a dozen properties in that prayer circle worth $83 million.
“Here’s the thing: I wasn’t praying for property, I was praying for people,” he says. Through his prayers for harvest, God opened doors no man could have opened.
One of those doors was Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse. Despite four other people bidding on the same building, and two of those bids larger than what the church could offer, God answered their prayer and gave them the property.
Opening its doors in 2006, the dream was to create a space where believers and unbelievers would gather to fellowship, and that certainly has happened. Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse is just blocks from the Supreme Court and the Capitol building and people from all faiths and walks of life come for a cup of coffee, which has become an opportunity to hear the gospel.
“Well Jesus didn’t just hang out in synagogues, he hung out at wells, and wells were natural gathering places in ancient culture. Coffee houses are postmodern wells,” Batterson says.
Batterson’s faith has impacted the lives of people around the country who travel to the coffeehouse, just to fuel their faith to believe God for miracles in their own life.
In his book “The Circle Maker” which has sold over a million copies, Batterson shares the inspirational story of Honi ha-M’agel. Believing God for rain in a severe drought, Honi drew a circle in the sand and refused to leave until God answered his prayer, and He did. The simple yet profound ancient story led Batterson to embark on his own journey of potent, world-changing prayers.
He attributes the book’s success to stepping into God’s will for his life saying, “The favor of God is the x factor, the ‘it’ factor, and I’m just grateful for the way’s He’s used these books.” After leaving seminary, where he was told he should never write, he read 3,000 books and learned how to write by studying other literature. Through his determination and enormous faith, his writings have influenced masses.
Christians around the world need to be praying prayers beyond their own ability and resources. It is the power of prayer that can change the world. “Prayer is the driving engine. When the prayer meeting becomes the most important meeting, revival is around the corner,” Batterson says.
Here is an excerpt out of “The Circle Maker” to inspire you today:
“When you live by faith it often feels like you’re risking your reputation. You’re not. You’re risking God’s reputation. It’s not your faith on the line. It’s His faithfulness. Why? Because God is the one who made the promise, and He is the only one who can keep it.”
You have the opportunity today to help shape history through what you pray. When we pray for the will of God, it will come to pass for the glory of God. Circle your family, the nation, our leaders and the harvest in prayer and watch how God will move powerfully through your life.
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