Mark Batterson - Big Dreams and Powerful Prayers Illustrated Bible: 30 Inspiring Stories from the Old and New Testament

To my mom and dad,
Some of my earliest memories are the Bible stories you read at bedtime.
Those stories sunk into my subconscious, becoming the seedbed of big dreams
and powerful prayers. May this book do for others what those stories did for me.
MB

Dedicated to my mother.
OA

Dear Reader,

Some of my earliest memories are the Bible
storybooks my parents read to me as child. Some
of those stories stamped my imagination, helping
me dream God-sized dreams. Other stories sunk
into my subconscious, time capsules of Gods grace,
Gods goodness. Either way, those Bible stories
forever shaped the way I think, the way I live.

I have a theory: over time, our favorite verses of
Scripture become the script of our lives. As we live
out the promises of God, those verses become
the storylines of our lives. And our lives become
a subplot in the story God has been writing
throughout history.

One of those subplots is a little-known story
about Honi, a man who became known as the
circle maker because of a bold prayer he prayed.
Inspired by the prophets who had gone before him,
Honi exercised Elijah-like faith when a drought
threatened to destroy his people.

Honi made a circle in the parched sand and
vowed that he would not leave that circle until
it rained. Although he was an old man, Honis
childlike faith and complete reliance on Gods
promises saved a generation of Jews, the generation
before Jesus.

My prayer for every child who reads these
stories is a revelation that they, like the characters
of the Bible and like the Honis of this world, play
a unique role in the story of God. Jesus is the
author of our faith, and if we give him complete
editorial control over our lives, he writes amazing
stories through us.

My prayer for every parent is that youll
become like little children once again. May the
stories remind you of Gods faithfulness as they
stretch your faith!

Blessings,

Mark Batterson

GENESIS 12

In the beginning, there was nothing to seeno earth spinning in
space, no shining sun, no twinkling stars, no peeping moon. There
was only darkness. But in the darkness, something was moving. You
couldnt see it and you couldnt hear it, but it was there. Gods spirit
was hovering, getting ready to create the world.

Into the darkness, God spoke. He only said four little words.
But those four little words had the power to create something from
nothing:

Let there be light.

And then came the miracle. At the sound of Gods voice, the
darkness flew away. A brilliant light danced and swirled as it filled
the space with warmth.

As Gods handiwork continued, mountains rose from the deep to
touch the skies, oceans swelled and roared, and the rivers laughed as
they ran. God clapped his hands in delightit was so good!

Birds flew high on the wing in this wonderful world that God had
made. Creatures crawled and hopped and slithered on the land; fishes
dived in the deep. The earth was filled with the colors and sounds and
movements of life.

In the garden of Eden, fantastic fruit hung from the trees; grass
grew tall and green; flowers nodded in the wind and filled the air
with perfume. After five busy days, God had everything in place.
The world was ready for his children.

God bent down, scooped the dust up into his hands, and
breathed life into Adam; then, while Adam slept, he created Eve.
Look, he said, when each of his children opened their eyes. I am
giving all of this to you.

Adam and Eve ran barefoot through the garden, holding hands
and laughing. Each day, they would come and talk to God. And the
creator of the world watched over them with pride. They were his,
they were blessed, and they were good.

PRAYER POINT

There Is Power in Prayer!

Ever since God created Adam and Eve, he has wanted to talk with his
children. The creator of the universe wants to talk with you too! Nothing
makes God smile more than when he hears you talking and praying to
him. And there is so much to learn about prayer by reading the Bible.
From the first page to the last, the Bible is filled with stories about people
who talked with God, listened to his voice, and learned the power of
prayer. Whether their prayers were whispered behind closed doors
or shouted in the streets; whether they prayed out loud or in silence;
whether their prayer was a cry for help or a song of praise, all these
people discovered the same wonderful truthGod hears every prayer
and answers every cry. The same God who hovered over the world at
the beginning of creation is hovering over your life toowatching over
you, ready to talk with you and show you how powerful prayers can be.
Are you ready?

Dear God,
Its such an awesome feeling to know that you,
the creator of the universe, want to talk with me!
Be with me as I read this book. Help me to listen to your words
through its pages and learn more about the power of prayer.
Amen.

Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him.

PSALM 100:3

GENESIS 3

It was sunrise in the garden of Eden. Eve was out for an early
morning stroll. The sun rose high in the sky and its rays sparkled
on the fruit that hung from the tree in the middle of the garden. It
looked so good! What a shame that God had told her and Adam
not to eat it.

It tastes as delicious as it looks, you know, a sneaky voice said.
Eve turned to see a big snake coiled around a nearby tree.

Im sure it does, replied Eve. But Adam and I cant eat that.
God told us not to. If we even touch it, we will die.

Nonsense! the naughty snake hissed. You wont die. If you eat
the fruit, you will be like God.

Eve reached out and plucked the delicious fruit from the tree.
She turned it over in her hand, smelled it, brought it to her mouth,
and took one small bite.

Then she gave some
to Adam. Instantly,
they knew something
was wrong. The sun
seemed to disappear
behind the clouds.
Dark shadows stretched
across the garden.