The Prayers.

Our early Christian family was plunged into a swelling hunger for growth. I still don't think I can fully grasp how crazy a time it must have been for them to go through Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension and how it could have either driven them away from each other in maddening chaos or drawn them to each other in desperation to grow. The latter happened. They turned toward one another, just like Jesus had shown them, and they grew in hunger for godly teaching, nourishing fellowship and healthy conversation with God. The teaching was the "rootage" that would ground them and give them rich soil to live out of as they began this new living after Jesus returned to heaven. Their magnetic draw to be together in intentional fellowship and community was the "watering" that kept that soil moist and flourishing in growth. They were influencing one another as they were regularly together growing in God through teaching and growing in friendship in their fellowship. And they prayed. Praying was the "oxygen" that kept breathing conversation for them and God. This was all sooooo new for them. They weren't executing some "church strategy plan" that they had been working on. This was grass roots, dependent, fresh growing that was happening in real time. As I write that....it sounds really of refreshing.

They were talking to God. Imagine the longing of missing Jesus for those who had just gone through this intense living with Him. I imagine that they REALLY wanted to talk to Him. And so they talked to Him, like He taught them. And thousands of years later, we come to today. And amazingly, we still have the chance to talk to Him, just like they were. That is truly remarkable. We are connected with our early Christian family over thousands of years that have passed with the intimate invitation to talk to our Savior. Talking with your Savior. How is that for you currently?

Of so many words that we receive from God in the bible about prayer and talking to Him, there is one that seems to be standing out for me this morning as I write. Come. Come. Invitation. Come.

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters...."

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest...."

"Come let us worship and bow down......"

"Come let us return to the Lord....."

Come this day, Damon.

One of my teachers, Larry Crabb, taught me about Prayer in his book called PAPA Prayer. I simply offer the words that he taught me as oxygen today for our prayer-hungry life. Our lives are prayer-hungry whether we're praying and aware of that or not. That seems important.

Come to PAPA....using the letters of PAPA, a helpful path in talking to PAPA today.

Present yourself to God without pressure...

Attend to how you're thinking about God...

Purge yourself of anything you're aware of blocking relationship with Him...

Approach God as the first thing in your life...

Present...Tell Him whatever is going on inside of you that you can identify.

Attend...How are you experiencing God? Vending machine? Frowning father? Distant? Strong Papa?

Purge...Anything uncomfortable or embarrassing in relationship with Him? Where is your main satisfaction?

Approach...Approach Him as the first thing in your life, repositioning other people and things as second.

When Lea and I first received this teaching from Larry, Lea wrote a simple prayer using each of these thoughts. Maybe it will be a refreshing, strong prayer for you today and in the days to come. I leave you with her words....

PAPA I need you.

PAPA I see you.

PAPA please change me.

PAPA rearrange me.

Papa.

There's more.