How Then Shall We Pray?
Foundational Principle:
Prayer is a powerful and essential way to communicate with God. It aligns our hearts with His will, invites Him into every area of our lives, and gives us eyes to see where He is at work.
Scripture to Begin:
Psalm 63:3-4
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
Learning
We’ve all been there—you’re lying in bed at night, feeling a bit overwhelmed, and you toss up a quick prayer like, “God, please help me get through tomorrow without completely losing it. Amen.” Simple, direct communication with God. But what if prayer was more than just throwing up SOS signals when life gets crazy?
The Lord wants to work through you to bring the truth of Jesus to those who don’t yet know Him. You don’t need a spiritual degree or an official title. All you need is a willing heart that loves and trusts God and a deep commitment to prayer.
When you’re prepping for any type of gathering, you can pray more than just “Please help this go well.” Author and therapist Larry Crabb developed a process called the PAPA Prayer which helps us connect with God in a way that feels relational and intimate. The PAPA Prayer deepens our connection with God and aligns our hearts with His will. It’s more than just a spiritual checkbox. It’s how we communicate with God, join our hearts with His will, and invite Him into every single detail of our lives.
The PAPA prayer looks like this.
P: Present yourself to God without pretense. Be a real person in the relationship. Tell Him whatever is going on inside you that you can identify. Maybe you’re feeling fear as you consider having a spiritual conversation with your neighbor. Or you’re super discouraged about the turnout for your last gathering. God can handle whatever is going on in your heart.
A: Attend to how you’re thinking of God. Again, no pretending. Ask yourself, “How am I experiencing God right now?” Is He a frowning father because you’d rather sit in front of the TV than have people over tonight. Maybe He’s a distant cold force because you haven’t seen him change the hearts of non-Christians? Or maybe you see Him as your glorious strong but intimate Papa.
P: Purge yourself of anything blocking your relationship with God. Put into words whatever makes you uncomfortable or embarrassed when you’re real in your relationship with Him. How are you thinking more about yourself and your satisfaction than about anyone else, including God and His pleasure?
A: Approach God as the “first thing” in your life. Ask the Lord to be your most valuable treasure, the Person you most want to know. Admit that other people and things really do matter more to you right now, but you long to want God so much that every other good thing in your life becomes a “second–thing” desire. (like a successful ministry event or someone placing their faith in Christ)
This is a great way to communicate with God about anything in your life.
Reflection
Take a minute and journal through each of the PAPA elements. How does it feel to approach God in this way? What are the benefits of praying to God as a friend instead of just listing your requests? How can you make this a consistent part of your time with God?
P: Present yourself to God without pretense.
A: Attend to how you’re thinking of God.
P: Purge yourself of anything blocking your relationship with God.
A: Approach God as the “first thing” in your life.
Applying What We Learn
Before any event or significant task, journal through this process. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His presence as you take steps of faith.
Set up a time to pray with someone: Phone a friend, find a buddy, grab your spouse and just ask them to pray with you. Their words can be just as encouraging as the ones you pray yourself.
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