Over the course of the next several weeks, I would like to lead you through “The PAPA Prayer: The prayer you’ve never prayed,” by Larry Crabb.
I have to admit that when I first saw the book and read the introduction, I thought, “The guy is selling snake oil.” The title of the book seemed corny; the claims that he made seemed too grand. Then I tried it over the course of two days of prayer and reflection and found that it was addressing a concern that I’ve been wrestling with regarding prayer.
When I think of prayer, I am often “task-oriented.” I have a list of concerns that need to be prayed for and a limited amount of time to pray over them. Prayer becomes a task. But prayer is supposed to be a conversation with the Creator of the universe that deepens my love for Him by filling me with His love for me.
In “The PAPA Prayer,” Larry Crabb offers a way to experience a real and honest relationship with God through prayer. As we enter into this relationship with God through the PAPA Prayer, we are also led on the path of sanctification – of being made holy.
Each letter of PAPA addresses a different area of the relationship in prayer. The first P stands for “Present.”
Present yourself to God authentically;
be real with Him as you are with no one else.
The exercises in this first week are designed to help you think through who you are in your relationship to God – and how you can become more real. The objective is to stop pretending to be who you think God wants you to be and to simply come to Him as you are right now.
