Is that really you God? Part IV:

The PAPA Prayer

How many of us would like a closer relationship with God than we have right now?

How many of you have ever felt that it seems as though God is distant or removed from your situation?

Me-centered prayer: "All I ask of life is a constant and exaggerated sense of my own importance." Ashleigh Brilliant

Relational prayer: "We never listen when we are eager to speak." Luise von Francois

These kind of ideas are not going to attract those who want a spiritual Tupperware party.

P - Present yourself to God. presenting

A - Attend to how you are thinking of God. attending

P - Purge yourself of anything that blocks your relationship with God. purging

A – Approach God as the ‘first thing’ in your life. approaching

presenting
P - Present yourself to God. Your emotional bottle. Stop trying to be who you think you should be and just tell God about where you are. Get in tune with whatever is going on inside of you.

attending
A - Attend to how you are thinking of God. Never pretend, don’t try to convince yourself you’re seeing something you’re not. If God feels distant, tell God that.

purging
P - Purge yourself of anything that blocks your relationship with God.

“No man stands at the Grand Canyon and says, ‘Aren’t I something?’ “ John Piper

When we stand before God we experience being real, yet are humbled to be in His presence. In the Bible people regularly fell on their face before God. In these quiet moments we become convicted, or are better able to see that our actions and behaviors are from exemplary.

Psalm 26:2
Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

approaching
A – Approach God as the ‘first thing’ in your life. The first three parts of the prayer free us to tell God that we really do want Him to be the first thing in our life. Everything else is a second thing.

We relate well with God when we do the four things that build any relationship:

we get real about who we are with someone we trust;

we show genuine interest in who that person is;

we own up to whatever we do that damages the relationship;

and honor the relationship with the person as an unrivaled priority.

“Get to know God better” paradigm
Assumption 1
Prayer is more about hearing God than about Him hearing us. We’re the audience.

“Get things from God’ paradigm
Assumption 1
Prayer is an opportunity to get God to hear our requests. He’s our audience.

Assumption 2 “Get to know God better” paradigm
Real prayer is never dull. We aren’t praying unless prayer is the most vital thing we do, whether we receive what we ask for or not.

Assumption 2 “Get things from God’ paradigm
Excitement in prayer depends on receiving what we ask for, or at least on the hope that we will.

Assumption 3 “Get to know God better” paradigm
Prayer is the God-appointed means for us to come to know Him as Papa.

Assumption 3 “Get things from God’ paradigm
Prayer is the God-appointed means for us to receive what we need in order to feel satisfaction and fulfillment.

Assumption 4 “Get to know God better” paradigm
Prayer can become the conversation you have longed to have with your earthly father. As that happens, your ‘father wounds’ are healed.

Assumption 4 “Get things from God’ paradigm
Prayer consists of asking things from God in a way that release Him to treat us like children who are entitled to their inheritance.

Assumption 5 “Get to know God better” paradigm
Power in petitionary prayer depends on intimacy in relational prayer. Know God a little, and experience little power in petition. Know God a lot and experience great power in petition.

Assumption 5 “Get things from God’ paradigm
Power in petitionary prayer depends on visible passion, declared faith, length of prayer, number pf prayers, and perhaps posture.

Assumption 6 “Get to know God better” paradigm
Petitioning God without first relating to Him transforms legitimate desire into entitled demands.

Assumption 6 “Get things from God’ paradigm
Prayer is our way of holding God to His promises. We have a right to approach God, knowing we are entitled to what He has promised.

Assumption 7 “Get to know God better” paradigm
Prayer is not a technique for persuading a reluctant God to give us what we want. It is our primary opportunity to get acquainted with God in this life before we see Him in the next.

Assumption 7 “Get things from God’ paradigm
Prayer is a method for securing blessings now that we will receive in full measure later.

Assumption 8 “Get to know God better” paradigm
Knowing God changes what we most want in life, and that changes what we most fervently request.

Assumption 8 “Get things from God’ paradigm
God grants the desires of our hearts. Therefore, we should discern what we believe would bring us the most satisfaction, and ask for that.

Many people think that Jesus came to earth to die on the cross, but that was just part of his mission. His overall mission was to bring the reality of God’s presence and power to earth and to invite us to join him in making things down here run the way they do up there. John Ortberg

Matthew 11:28
Come if you're thirsty or weak or if you carry a heavy burden. Come if you’re jumping for joy or if you’re just beginning life’s journey. Come if you’re alone or with a community of friends. Come as you are. Come and pray.

Present yourself to God
“God, I’m feeling excited about the possibility of knowing You better.”

Attend to how you are thinking of God
“I see You as more eager to be close to me than I am to be close to You. I love that. It scares me.

Purge yourself of anything that blocks your relationship with God
“But the desire to change some things in my life is really strong. I know that’s okay. But I think it’s stronger right now than my desire to know You better. And that’s not okay. I don’t know how to change that.”

Approach God as the ‘first thing’ in your life
“So I come to You just as I am. I don’t know what else to do. But I believe You’ll do the work and You’ll show me my part. I want to know You more than I want anything else.”

The problem with describing prayer as speaking to God is that it implies we are still in control. But in listening, we let go. People are tired of hearing about "Ten Steps that Will Change Your Life." Richard Foster

(Thanks to Larry Crabb and his great book, The Papa Prayer)