GUIDE ME IN MY RECOVERY
GUIDE ME in M y RECOVERY
PRAYERS FOR TIMES OF JOY AND TIMES OF TRIAL
The Reverend John T. Farrell, Ph.D.
CENTRAL RECOVERY PRESS
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Central Recovery Press, Las Vegas, NV 89129
© 2010 by Central Recovery Press
All rights reserved. Published 2010.
Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
Publisher: Central Recovery Press
3371 N. Buffalo Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89129
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ISBN-10: 1-936290-00-6 (paper)
ISBN-13: 978-1-936290-00-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-936290-47-5 (e-book)
The excerpts from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) are reprinted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (AAWS) Permission to reprint these excerpts does not mean that AAWS has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication, or that AAWS necessarily agrees with the views expressed herein. AA is a program of recovery from alcoholism only—use of these excerpts in connection with programs and activities that are patterned after AA, but which address other problems, or in any other non-AA context, does not imply otherwise.
Cover design and interior by Sara Streifel, Think Creative Design
This book is dedicated to
Father Henri Nouwen
and Father Mychal Judge,
two spiritual masters
whose paths I can only
hope to follow.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Teach Me to Pray
Prayers for Acceptance
Third Step Prayers
Prayers for the Ups and Downs of Life
Prayers for Relationships
Prayers for Protection
Prayers for Walking through the Shadows
Prayers for Addicts
Prayers of Gratitude
Prayers for Spiritual Connection
Evening Prayers
Books for Your Spiritual Journey
I would like to gratefully acknowledge Stuart Smith who believed I could write this book; Lynne Vittorio who encouraged me; and Nancy Schenck who kept me on task.
When initially encountering a program of recovery, many people balk. The reasons for their hesitation are numerous and varied, but often they focus on the spiritual aspects of recovery. Do I have to believe in God? they ask. What kind of God are you talking about? I have a lot of trouble with the God thing, so do I have listen to this stuff? Is the program about religion? What is prayer anyway? What is the point of praying?
Those experienced in recovery, of course, reassure newcomers by explaining to them the difference between religion and spirituality. Religion, we tell them, is about theology and what we believe. Spirituality, on the other hand, is about who we are and how we live. We go on to explain that a successful program of recovery should be about relationships— relationships with God as we understand God, a relationship with ourselves, relationships with each other, and relationships with the world around us. By focusing on right relationships as a foundational part of our recovery, we tell them about connecting with principles, spiritual in nature, which will guide us in our recovery. And we finish by saying that one of the best ways to connect with our spiritual natures—or with our higher power or with our Ground of Being or with our Essence or with God— is to pray.
My own situation in early recovery is a case in point. I grew up in a rule-ridden faith and had long abandoned it. At that point in my life I wasn’t especially hostile to spiritual expression. Rather, I was indifferent. I had long since decided that religion, spirituality, and prayer were meaningless to my life. I just couldn’t see the point of believing in much of anything besides myself.
As I grew in my recovery, I began to change. I came to understand that a power greater than myself could relieve me of the insanity called the disease of addiction. I began to consider who or what God actually was and what role a higher power played in my recovery. Although I initially encountered the divine as mystery, I eventually came
