At a glance: this is a 13-week study and discussion guide for The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, with 92 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.
The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson is built around a simple but audacious premise: most of us pray too small. Drawing on the ancient legend of Honi the circle maker — a first-century Jewish sage who, during a catastrophic drought, drew a circle in the dirt, stood inside it, and refused to move until God sent rain — Batterson argues that God honors bold, persistent, specific prayer. The book's central thesis is that "God is not honored by timid prayers." Instead, Batterson calls readers to draw "prayer circles" around their biggest dreams, their deepest needs, and their God-given impossibilities, trusting that the God who answered Honi's prayer is the same God who hears ours today.
This study guide is designed for use over thirteen weeks — one week per chapter, plus an opening Preface week and a closing Review & Reflection week. The suggested rhythm is: read the chapter before your group meets, spend time journaling your personal responses to the questions, and then discuss together (or, for individual study, treat the questions as a prayerful conversation with God). You may find it helpful to keep a "Prayer Circle Journal" throughout the study — a dedicated notebook where you write out specific, bold prayer requests and track how God answers them over time.
By the end of this guide, you will have a clearer sense of what it means to pray with holy boldness rather than fearful vagueness. You will have identified your God-ordained dreams, practiced the discipline of persistent prayer, and — most importantly — deepened your understanding of a God who delights to answer the audacious, faith-filled prayers of his people. Come ready to think, journal, and pray bigger than you have before.