WHY INSIDE THE CIRCLE?

This idea of staying “inside the circle” has resonated with me for years. The first time the idea hit me on a spiritual level was when I was reading a series by Ted Dekker called The Circle Trilogy.  Since I first binged on those books, Ted Dekker has added another book making it a series and two more books originating from the world of Justin and Thomas the Hunter. The story is really a story of Creation, the Fall, and the Redemption of Humankind.  It is the story of the gospel told in allegory, fiction resonating truth. The circle symbolized the covenant between Justin (the Christ figure in the story) and his people whom he called to dive deep and drown willingly. It was this act of letting go and losing their lives that led to a rebirth into something unexplainable. In the story, Justin takes his sword and draws a circle around the ragamuffin group of followers symbolically making them his bride. And then he utters those words that still pierce my heart, “Never break the circle that unites us. Do you understand what I’m asking you to do?” Yes, I understand. No matter what, stay inside the circle. You can read more about this in my first blog post.

Dekker, Ted, et al. The Circle Series. Thomas Nelson, 2011.

Another reason I landed on the idea of “inside the circle” was a book called The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. I confess I had never heard of the book or the story of a first century sage named Honi. I was cooking dinner one summer evening when I received a text that would shatter my world. I did the only thing I could think to do at the time:  I called my worship pastor. As I cried and poured out the pieces of my broken heart, he told me a story–a story that would change my life.  It was the story of Honi. The story begins in the century before Jesus’s birth, and God was strangely silent. There were no prophets, no signs, no miracles. There was one man who lived outside of the circle of Jerusalem who believed that God was not deaf nor distant–His name was Honi. During that time, a drought swept through the land and threatened to wipe out the entire area.  The people could think of only one hope, and Honi, the eccentric became Honi, the circle maker. The people begged Honi to pray for rain. Honi held his staff in his hand, stretched it out toward the ground, and drew a circle in the dirt. When he finished, Honi was standing inside the circle. But he didn’t stay standing; he dropped to his knees and cried out “I swear before Your great name that I will not move from this circle until you have shown mercy upon your children!” And God sent rain. That very night, Pastor Shane (my worship pastor) challenged me to draw a circle, write my need inside of it, and pray Honi’s prayer, “I will not leave this circle until you answer my prayer!”  A few years later, I am writing these words while watching God answer that prayer.

So why “inside the circle”? I will stay inside the circle of God’s covenant relationship with His people. I will not let offense, distractions, lies, or temptations lure me from outside the safety of His circle with His people. I will stay inside the circle of God’s promises.  He will do everything He says He will do. He is always faithful. He is always God regardless of my circumstances.  Will you step inside the circle with me?