Bill P. - The 12 Step Prayer Book: More Twelve Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings Prayers 184-366

ISBN 1-59285-095-2 1. Prayers. I. P., Bill, 1947 II. D., Lisa. BV245T94 2004 204'.33dc22 2004047284 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-59285-787-6 Editors Note Every effort was made to determine the source of each
prayer and inspirational reading included in this volume.

Cover design by David Spohn Interior design by Rachel Holscher Typesetting by Prism Publishing Center Dedicated to Margaret R. Graves Contents Introduction Prayer is seeking answers and direction in life. Meditation is listening for answers from a Higher Power and developing the faith within us to accept these answers. Reflection is the study of ways to change the answers we get from prayer and meditation into action. This second volume of prayers and inspirational readings was written and compiled to assist all Twelve Step Fellowship members with their prayer life and spiritual progress. Those who are just beginning a life of recovery will find help by working the Eleventh Step.

Those who have time in the Program will find a deepening of their spiritual life. Anyone who has trouble finding the right words to speak with his or her Higher Power may find exactly what he or she wants to say in one of these prayers. The suggestion in the Eleventh Stepsought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him asks us to improve our prayer and meditation life. May these prayers help you improve your spiritual progress. This book, as with volume 1 of The 12 Step Prayer Book, is a companion to the meditation book Easy Does It: A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations . Many members have learned, through times of quiet reflection, to work into their recovery life the answers their Higher Power has given them as a result of their active practice of prayer and meditation.

Ive Found a Reason Dear God, as long as my life was preoccupied with my own problems, my own unwillingness and dark moods, I was critical, insensitive, rigid, and defiant. But when I honestly faced my defects and failures and the worst was known and surrendered to You, the whole nature of living changed. I am no longer the emotional center of all things and no longer take everything as personal to myself. Ive found a reason for all the suffering through which I have passed. It is to be used in understanding and helping others. Out of darkness comes light.

Happy, Joyous, and Free I am sure You want me to be happy, joyous, and free. With Your help I will no longer believe
that life has no meaning and is filled with sorrow. You, the Twelve Steps, and our Fellowship
have shown me I made my own misery.
You didnt do it. I pray I will avoid the deliberate manufacture of misery. But if trouble comes, I will cheerfully make it an
opportunity to demonstrate Your wisdom and power. Adapted from material in Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, page 133 Life Is a Gift Thank you, God.

May I remember during periods
of depression, The many times in my life when things do seem right, when I have those moments of clarity, When I feel there is hope, when the sun shines down on me and warms my face, when Your love warms my heart. I am reminded that life is a gift... this I pray. Thanksgiving PrayerNative American Great and Eternal Mystery of Life, Creator of All Things, I give thanks for the beauty You put in every single one of Your creations. I am grateful that You did not fail in making every stone, plant, creature, and human being a perfect and whole part of the Sacred Hoop. I am grateful that You have allowed me to see the strength and beauty of All My Relations.

My humble request is that all of the children of Earth will learn to see the same perfection themselves. May none of Your human children doubt or question Your wisdom, grace, and sense of wholeness in giving all of Creation a right to be living extensions of Your perfect love. Where There Is Charity and Wisdom Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor annoyance. Where there is love and joy, there is neither greed nor selfishness. by St. by St.

Francis of Assisi I Must Change Spirit of the Universe, I pray to remember. No one can make me change. No one can stop me from changing. No one really knows how I must change, Not even I. Not until I start. Help me remember that it only takes a slight shift In direction to begin to change my life.

Prayer for Natural Disasters O God of Goodness, In the mystery of natural disasters, we look to You, Trusting that there is an explanation that will Satisfy our minds and hearts. Accept our compassion for our fellow men, Our desire for their relief, And hope and wisdom to accept The forces of nature. My New Employer I have a new Employer. Being all powerful,
You provide what I need if I keep close to You
and perform Your work well. I have become less and less interested in myself,
my little plans and designs. Your wisdom shows me more and more what
I can contribute to life.

As I feel new power flow in,
enjoy peace of mind,
face life successfully,
become conscious of Your presence,
I feel less fear of today, tomorrow, and the hereafter. I have been reborn. Adapted from material in Alcoholics Anonymous Fourth Edition, page 63 Awareness, Acceptance, Action Dear God, slow me down when all I do is try to fix and control things and people. Help me to first accept situations as they are when I become aware of them. Slow me down in Your stillness. Mark my awareness with unselfishness, my acceptance with humility, and my actions with usefulness to me and others.

Daily SurrenderNo Regrets This I pray, Higher Power: I will surrender to Your will today, which brings me peace and joy that makes all things new. I no longer have that trampled look of someone forced to remember every mistake he or she has made. I no longer hide under that blanket of regrets. My daily surrender to You and the Fellowship that surrounds me leads me away from darkness and into the wonderful light of Your wisdom. Thanking You for Little Things I thank You for the house in which I live, For the gray roof on which the raindrops slant; I thank You for a garden and the slim young shoots That mark the old-fashioned things I plant. I thank You for a daily task to do, For books that are my ships with golden wings.

For mighty gifts let others offer praise Lord, I thank You for little things. Author unknown For Guidance Father of light, Give us wisdom to know You, Intelligence to understand You, Courage to seek You, Patience to wait for You, Eyes to see You, A heart to meditate on You, And a life to proclaim You. by St. Benedict Teach Me Dear God, teach me
to listen to Your many blessings. Steer my life toward Your will and the
tranquil haven You provide
for all storm-tossed souls. Show me the course I should take.

Renew a willing spirit within me. Let Your spirit curb my wayward senses. Enable me unto that which is my true good: