Such a powerful book. Definitely pick it up and read it, it'll change how you look at prayer and challenge you to pray big and pray hard. ( )

Given to Matthew Hayes - 05/04/2023

OK. Some inspiration, and the idea in practice is wonderful and amazing. Book itself a bit repetitive. Just wanted to get through it. ( )

Good challenging book that sometimes threatens to go to platitudes and slogans. But when the author is teaching and exhorting there is some good stuff here. ( )

I have mixed feelings about this book. This is a book on prayer which is loosely based on a Jewish legend of a man named Honi who during a drought drew a circle in the sand and prayed that God would send rain and lots of it. And God did. Essentially Batterson is encouraging readers to pray similar big risky prayers. He claims it is not about health and wealth and magically getting what you want but pressing in and faithfully asking for the big stuff because God will do great things.

So far so good, but his examples all seem prosperity-ish. Because Batterson prayed he got a mega church with major funding and multiple campuses, a whole lot of real estate, and lots of people read his books which he is getting lots of money from.

So I feel both challenged and inspired by a lot of what Batterson says and I feel somewhat put off by other parts. I believe God wants us to pray risky prayers that call out faith and trust from us. He wants to show us what he will do on our behalf. But I don't think it is about personal empire building. I don't think Batterson thinks so either but at least the tone of sections of this book have that ring to it. ( )