Have you wondered, “so…just how do I pray”? A dialogue with the Almighty sounds great, but HOW? Is it really possible to be as comfortable in a dialogue with God as you are in a great conversation with a friend? Yes. One key is the word, “Dialogue”. Not only talking, but listening too, to what God has to say. Just think of how much better a conversation is if both parties take turns listening as well as speaking. And if our all-powerful God has something to say, wouldn’t you agree it’s worth listening to?

If you’ve ever asked how to pray, or if you’ve ever felt that prayer is a weakness in your spiritual life, feeling dull, crisis-driven and mostly lifeless, keep reading.

For Larry Crabb, something new happened when he began practicing the four steps of what he calls the PAPA prayer - a relational, conversational approach to talking with and enjoying God. Each step of this revolutionary method promotes the thought that "prayer is getting more of God rather than getting more from God."

The following information are highlights from Crabb’s book titled, The Papa Prayer: The Prayer You’ve Never Prayed.

Here’s how to prayer the PAPA Prayer:

P - Present yourself to God (1 minute)

• How do you feel?  What are you scared of right now?  What do you wish would happen?
• Tell all of that to God
  

A - Attend to how you are thinking of God (1 minute)

• What images come to mind when you think of God?  Express appreciation to Him.
• What character trait do you most admire about God?  Thank Him.
• What confuses you most about God?  Talk to Him about that.

P - Purge yourself of anything you know He would not approve of in your life (1 minute)

• The Bible teaches that our relationship with Him is based on purity.
• What is it in your life that you regret? That you wish you could take back? Apologize. 
• Is there someone you have hurt? Tell God about it and apologize before going to make it right with that person.

A - Acknowledge God as 1st in your life (1 minute)

• Tell God that everything else you could ask for in life is not as important as getting to know Him, learning to listen to His voice and following Him. 
• Make the desire to know Him 1st in your life and everything else 2nd and you get God PLUS 2nd things. Matthew 6:33 says, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

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Start praying for all those 2nd things that you would like to see God do:

• In your life?
• In your families life?
• In your community?
• In your church?
• At work?