Praying the 12 Steps of Recovery for Those in Addiction: Steps Four Through Six

As we continue praying through the 12 Steps of Recovery, please bear in mind, this is just as much about your recovery as those struggling with addiction. You have been engaged in battle, you have been wounded, and maybe, you have tried to treat those wounds in a way not consistent with a healthy life of your own. Please allow God to work in you as well as through you. For His glory alone.

STEP 4) Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 

The Principle of COURAGE

"Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!" Lamentations 3:40

Lord, I ask You to give them the desire to bring Your light into their world. I ask You to lead them on a comprehensive discovery of who they have been and who they can be in You. Expose their dark places, flush out their ruined lives with truth, reopen festering wounds to be washed clean, and give them the courage to bring these things before You daily. Strengthen them for this exploration, Lord. Much of what has brought them to this place is fear; fill them with Your courage, O Lord. Show them that You are a Rock, that they can lean on You in order to receive newness of life. Prepare the people, places and things around them that, as they uncover parts of themselves -- the unhealthy things in their lives -- they would be replaced by conditions leading them to repentance, to You and to the next step on their journey to recovery. Amen

STEP 5) Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

The Principle of INTEGRITY

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16

Heavenly Father, please help them to desire integrity, and to actively seek it in all of their interactions. Please develop in them a desire for authenticity, a desire for transparency that even they are unable to explain. Help them to say what they mean, and mean what they say. Prepare their hearts to submit to accountability. Send someone they will be willing to trust. Send someone who will maintain boundaries. Pull them from the point of recognizing their wrongs to confessing them, speaking them aloud and owning them as past transgressions while seeking to move forward. Keep them from remaining fixated on themselves, and keep them from lingering in a place of guilt and shame any longer than they need in preparation for moving to a better place. Keep their hearts soft and humble; incline Your ear to their prayers and ours. Amen

STEP 6) We’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 

The Principle of WILLINGNESS

"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor." 1 Peter 5:6

Lord, break them. Bring them to bow before You, humbly, gratefully, willing to accept Your hand on their every thought, their every desire, their every word, their every act. May they be wholly given over to You that Your Spirit might transform them inside and out. May the bonds of addiction be broken as they claim for themselves Your perfect work at the cross. Free them from the slavery of sin. Strip them of their sense of self. But You, O God, are a gracious God! You will not leave them in that place. Fill them with Your character. Show them who they are in You. Give them a glimpse of what could be that they might gladly release the worthless things they cling to, and shed the garments of sloth and fear. Exchange their ashes for beauty, and keep their voices forever praising You. Amen

Steps Seven through Nine tomorrow.

Praying the 12 Steps of Recovery for Those in Addiction: Steps One Through Three

It is my prayer you do not know anyone caught in addiction. If you do, however, I would encourage you to pray. The Bible tells us, "With God, nothing will be impossible." (Luke 1:37) God's power for possibilities was demonstrated throughout Scripture, and continues to be exhibited today in the lives of people just like you and me. There is hope. He is our Hope. (Psalm 71:5)

Today I begin sharing with you some meditations that have emerged as I pray through the 12 Steps of Recovery for those in addiction. I pray you will be blessed:

STEP 1) We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable. 

The Principle of HONESTY

“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.” Romans 7:18 

Lord, I ask that they would grow weary. Weary of pretending, weary of lies, weary of struggling for control. I ask that they would see their life for what it is. Open their eyes, Lord. Remove the blinders placed on them by years of deception. Show them how they have created this life in chaos, and cause them to reject another moment of it. Soften their hearts and bring them to the realization that they have tried and they have failed; their continued efforts and failures prove they are powerless over their addiction. Help them to see the proof. Lord, I ask you to put that admission in their hearts and on their lips. Bring them to a place of admitting their impotence. Bring them to a place of seeing their intentions for what they are, but recognizing their actions have led them to a place of unruliness. Help them to know that only truth will set them free. Transform them with truth. Amen

STEP 2) Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 

The Principle of HOPE

“He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins." Romans 8:3b

Lord, I ask You to demonstrate Your love for them in such a way they will know You command the wind and waves; that they will know You are not only able but willing to bring them to a saving knowledge of You and bring them to full restoration. I ask that they would see, would hear, would feel the change You are bringing about in their lives. I ask that they would understand only goodness flows from You. Restore their hope, Lord, by drawing their eyes to You. I ask that they would see every blessing as an affirmation of Your love for them and an assurance of Your desire to see their lives redeemed. I ask that they would taste of Your goodness, that it might become an object of their desire and they would rest firmly and resolutely on Your power to transform. Amen

STEP 3) Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him. 

The principle of SURRENDER

"Then he said to the crowd, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.'” Luke 9:23

Oh, Lord, I pray they might relinquish their will and their lives to Your care. Lord, I pray they might give up their desires and their willfulness. Turn their backs on all their efforts and all their failed and foolish plans. Give them to know it is their will that has brought them to this point. I ask that Your grace, Your protection, Your power and Your plan might become attractive to them. That in tasting and seeing Your goodness and the transformation it brings, they would decide to surrender to You. Lord, I ask You to bless their minds, clearing them to make good decisions, decisions that lead to life and fullness of life. Lord, I ask You to bring them to a decision to let go and die to all they have wrought, and choose instead to give themselves over to Your care, Your mercy and Your grace. Amen

Steps Four through Six tomorrow.

Praying the 12 Steps of Recovery for Those in Addiction

In 2018, my husband and I were called by the Lord to be part of a situation we had left behind. It was a problem we no longer tried to solve, no longer wanted to solve, and, quite honestly, only occasionally asked God to solve. This new commission renewed our hope, at the same time, placing us right in the thick of things once again. A little over a month ago, it ended as quickly as it began. It was heart-breaking. We experienced grief, loss, fear, anger, betrayal, and emptiness; but most of all, utter confusion. NOTHING had been resolved. If anything, the situation was more volatile than before. What had been the purpose for all of this?

I don't have that answer in its entirety, but something God revealed to me within those first few dark days was, we had lost hope. The wound had grown so much a part of our lives, we stopped asking for it to be healed. But it wasn't just our wound -- others were suffering as well; and even if we chose to live with the pain, we had an obligation to pray for others. As Christians, didn't we desire God's glory? Shouldn't we have been praying for God to be exalted and His name to be made known? But, we had lost hope. 

That is when I began to pray through the 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous, to "stand in the gap" for those as yet unable to do it for themselves. I asked God to bring these new admissions and behaviors to fruition in them. I prayed, asking God to prepare the places where I hope they will one day step. As I prayed, I found hope, and strength, and a renewed commitment to their recovery. As I prayed, my focus began to turn back to the God of the HIMpossible and the Hope that is ours.

Over the next few days I would like to share with you things I hope will be a resource for those affected by addiction:

Far too many lives have been touched by addiction. Addiction, in one form or another seems to exist within our nature. Some people realize their triggers early on and find ways to manage without lapsing into addictive behaviors. Some spend most of their lives struggling to get free of something that controls the way they think, the things they say, and the way they act. Over and over, the cycle repeats: the desire to be free, the fight to get free, and the concession that freedom is impossible. Engaged in that battle are the addicts themselves, and those around them. Coworkers, neighbors, sponsors, friends, spouses, children. People who may have never abused substances or wrestled with addiction in their life are now wrestling with the addiction of those close to them.

I believe there is hope. I believe that, as those looking on from a distance or living with an addict on a daily basis, we can help. We can help in a way that requires commitment and discipline (things most addicts struggle to maintain for themselves), passion and compassion (things most co-dependents, friends and family members struggle to maintain with regard to an addicted person), and prayer. One of the tenets of support organizations (such as Al Anon and Nar Anon) is to understand and navigate another's addiction by teaching family and friends to practice the 12 Steps of Recovery themselves. I believe those 12 Steps can also be prayed through.

I believe the 12 Steps and their principles are applicable to all our lives, no matter where we are in our addiction or the addiction of others. As you pray these steps, it is my hope you will find healing and your prayers will bring about healing for those in your life.

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." ~ James 5:16b

 Steps One through Three tomorrow.

Twenty-Six Words Tell the Rest of the Story

“Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

So begins the biblical account of Job's trials. Prior to this, we learn Job was rich in children and goods and reputation. He was blameless before the Lord and great before men. A real stand-up guy. But Satan challenged Job's loyalty and God's deservedness of it. "He's only loyal to You because You bless him so," he said. God handed His child's possessions, family, health, and even his relationships over to Satan. "Give it all you've got," God told the Destroyer. And he did. Job lost it all, but "in all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." Forty-one short chapters later, we see the end result: God replies (more on that another day), Job repents (more on that in a minute), his friends are commanded to offer sacrifice for their crazy presumptions, and God blessed Job more than He had before. The book concludes with the words, "After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days." That's important -- those last twenty-six words. 

Contemporary Western culture has a way of fixating on things. Things are a sign of prosperity. Things equal blessing, and blessing equals things. And too much contemporary "Christianity" (which, I believe, is not Christianity at all) teaches that the cross restores us the way Job was restored -- right now, in the natural. Far too many of us read the account of Job, and our take away is the blessing. We suffer a bit; we get blessed a lot. This year has been a perfect proving ground for God's people: global pandemic, racial injustice, riots, widespread unemployment, a volatile political climate -- in addition to the problems that plague us in a normal three hundred and sixty-five day period. I have heard so many people say how they can't wait until this year is over, but God is not on our timetable. The simple turning of a page does not mean life will somehow become different better or different worse. Because we have decided time is up does not mean it is. Because we have decided we've had enough does not mean we have. We can't begin to presume what God has accomplished, will accomplish or is accomplishing through the things we've endured recently. And we can't presume to know when it will end. So what if the blessing as we would like it doesn't come? Do you think Job endured all he did thinking to himself, "Seventeen more days. Seventeen days and this will all be fixed"? No, in fact, he repented! (I believe, because he had held on to his faith in God, because he had hunkered down and plowed through. I've done that, and, when all is said and done, I've not cursed God or turned from the Lord. But, I have felt awful. It was ugly -- maybe not on the outside, but on the inside. I've never wanted to go through a trial and, at the end said, "Well, God, I still don't hate You. I didn't curse You." No! I want to say, "I LOVE YOU! You are still my everything! I praised Your name the whole way through because You are worthy!" In reality, however, I didn't quite "keep the faith." Silently I raged; alone I accused and panicked. And based on what we're told of Job in verse one of chapter one, I think Job might have been the same way. I think he was resolute, but lacked peace from time to time. I think, that in trying to defend God and defend himself and figure it all out, Job said some things that caused him regret; he took his eyes off of God's goodness and sovereignty in an effort to provide himself with some solace. And he felt awful. But, that's just my two sense.) Let's get back to the blessing thing.

I made a joke about forty-one short chapters, but compared to the "months" (?) Job suffered, it's nothing. We can read the entire Book of Job in less than a day while sitting with a cup of tea and our feet up. Job. Suffered. And, yes, he did receive blessing: things restored, relationships and family restored -- for four generations! -- and a long life. But the blessing is not the point. Enduring for a time until the blessing arrives is not the point. How do I know? Because Job died. Just like everyone else under the curse, Job died. The blessing was not the end-all to beat-all. The blessing is not the conclusion. The blessing of more stuff was not his eternity. The takeaway is, he died. He lived through a terrible ordeal, and maybe others not as terrible after that. He got blessed -- not necessarily rewarded for being a good guy or for proving God right before Satan -- but, he got blessed. And then, sometime later, he died.

God loves each of His children. God blesses them according to His plan. Some of us are held to the fire -- more than once. But when we can see that as a blessing -- as God using us to bless others, as God maturing us, as God drawing us closer, as God simply exercising His holy prerogative for purposes we may not learn in this portion of life -- it redefines blessing in our minds and in our lives. May we always live with joy and gratitude so others will know the rest of the story.