“The Recovery Prayer”

By: Vince DiPasquale

One of the most beautiful prayers comes from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous:

“Thank you for keeping me straight yesterday. Please help me stay straight today. For the next twenty-four hours, I pray for knowledge of Your will for me only, and the power to carry that through. Please free my thinking of self-will, self-seeking, dishonesty, and wrong motives. Send me the right thought, word, or action. Show me what my next step should be. In times of doubt and indecision, please send Your inspiration and guidance. I ask that You might help me work through all my problems to Your glory and honor.”

Let’s look at this prayer as it pertains to codependency. We begin with an attitude of gratitude and humility. Thank you for the lessons of yesterday, help me to be open to the lessons of each day. Help me to live life, ‘One Day at a Time’. Start the day with the Third Step and the Eleventh Step prayers, only to be open to God’s will, not ours. If we could just learn one small lesson each day and surrender to God’s will, we will be in the process of growing. God, our creator, tries to tell us to be patient, kind and loving and all will be taken care of in God’s time, not ours. The journey may at times be uncomfortable. Remember that everything in life comes through struggle.

This beautiful yet simple recovery prayer reminds me of the simple measure of our Twelve Steps. They are twelve simple principles to live by. Thank you, God for guidance and direction. Listen to these spiritual words ~ surrender, acceptance, faith and trust. Surrender and acceptance comes through God’s gifts of powerlessness and struggle. Faith is the power source of life. If I can come to believe in the 4 H’s (honesty, humility, humor and healing) my life will once again be peaceful and serene. Trust that you can learn to let go and let God. Try to be open and listen.

I would like to share from one of my favorite meditation books, The Language of Letting Go: “Many of us have been trying to keep the whole world in orbit with sheer and forceful application of mental energy. Control is an illusion, especially the kind of control we’ve been trying to exert. In fact, controlling gives other people, events and diseases control over us. Whatever we try to control does have control over us and our lives. In recovery, we make a trade off. We trade a life that we have tried to control, and we receive something better – a life that is manageable. Today I will exchange a controlled life for one that is manageable.”

This prayer also reminds me to release my fears, which can become normal to me. It’s time to thank our old fears that helped us survive, wave goodbye to them, and welcome into your new life peace, trust, acceptance and safety. God help me to release my need to be afraid. Replace it with a need to be at peace. Help me to listen to my healthy fears and release the rest. This simple prayer reminds us of how special and beautiful life is. May we take the time to say this simple prayer often. Thank you God for the gift of recovery. This prayer is perfect for this time of year, Thanksgiving, the feast of gratitude, humility and love.

May we all have a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving. Sending prayers and love to all. May God bless us on our journey.

Vince D.