“Reading is the way you get through the Bible; prayer is the way you get the Bible through you.”- Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson completes Chapter 8 of The Circle Maker by referencing an old preacher’s sermon titled God’s Grammar: “Never put a comma where God puts a period, and never put a period where God puts a comma.” Praying through- not putting a period where God puts a comma- allows God to finish the sentence and make a statement.
Pastor Batterson asks us to consider the statement of faith Martha made to Jesus after Lazarus’ death (John 11:21-22): “Lord . . . if you had been there, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Mark notes that Martha’s statement exhibits two degrees of faith:
1. Preventative faith– where we ask God to prevent things from happening
2. Resurrection faith– believes that God can undo what already has been done
There is no easy answer for how to get from preventative faith to resurrection faith. Hard times teach us to pray hard. During periods of ellipsis, even then you believe even now.
However, often we don’t pray through because we run out of things to say. The solution, Mark states, is to pray through the Bible. Mark asks us to think of Scripture as God’s part of the script and prayer as our part. Mark emphasizes how to get the Bible through you:
“The Bible wasn’t meant to be read through; the Bible was meant to be prayed through.”
Today’s question: Would you describe your current level of faith as preventative faith or resurrection faith? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The by- products of answered prayer”
