A large part of recovery centers on prayer. The entire process begins in the 12 Steps with the admission of powerlessness, immediately followed by the confession that God can and will help the alcoholic. So, the steps begin a program of prayer.
Much as in the story of the Pharisee and the Publican, this prayer must be a humble prayer. Man can only encounter God in his weakness, not in his strength. The addict also cannot get sober in his strength (or delusion thereof) but only when he admits defeat.
The entire process of recovery centers on a series of prayers asking for divine intervention as the alcoholic repents, and the fruit of this process is the ability to pray. We are recovering through prayer, and praying for the ability to pray. Without prayer, there is no recovery, because ultimately the encounter with God produces prayer.
Our prayer begins with worship, but must result in silence. We must be still and know that God is present, but this cannot happen in the stormy mind of the addict in his disease. He must exit the turmoil and find peace in order to pray and know God.
It is difficult, and can only be achieved in degrees, but progress is open to all people who will cleanse the distractions.
Prayer provide the central conduit through which the grace of God passes to us. Through the humility of prayer, we receive the exalted glory of God. This divine energy heals the body, soul, and spirit of the addict, as it does all men who meekly seek His assistance.
In prayer, we become utterly present to the extent that we can keep our thoughts from straying. Yet, even in straying, the fact that we are presenting ourselves to God is enough to initiate great change. This act of humility which is prayer has power that we do not understand or fully comprehend.
It is a divine act, since our hope is not for our own prayer, but that eventually God would pray through us. And, this is the ultimate form of recovery: to be His vessel.
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