Today I was encouraged because I helped another alcoholic. A woman I don’t know was given my number to call from a detox facility. She asked for advice and future direction. After talking with her for a while about AA and outpatient treatment options, I realized that the conversation we were having wasn’t what she needed. Advice doesn’t give much immediate hope. Neither does information about finding a meeting. When you want to drink and feel defeated about the future, prayer is what is needed. Those other things are important, but they are not the FIRST thing, or the URGENT thing. She needed emergency prayer. Prayer halts the voice of condemnation. Prayer lets us know we are not isolated when the phone call is over. Prayer interrupts the current cycle of addiction by bringing faith, cleansing, and hope for change. Prayer changes our mind. Nothing else can do that.
The things is, I almost hung up the phone by saying, I’ll
be praying for you. Bye now. Then I realized that she needed to be part
of the prayer. Having someone pray with you is different than being told
that you will be prayed for.
This helps me realize that prayer is a powerful opportunity
I often overlook. It may make all the difference in hope or hopelessness, drunk
or sober, life or death.
