Let’s pray for rescue from drug and alcohol addiction.
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!”
(Jonah 2:1-2 NLT)
I had a choice at the age of eighteen, continue on a dark path with alcohol, or take an abrupt turn onto a new path.
There are no simple addiction stories.
Living addicted to drugs or alcohol is never a simple story. There are many avenues that can lead people into this cycle. I will not cover all the circumstances that create this behavior but will mention a few.
Addiction in the home
Depression
PTSD
Peer pressure
Abuse
And more…
I could list statistics about the abuse of alcohol and drugs. The numbers are a little too depressing. I think I will save that for the actual Devotional.
The point of City prayer is to cry out to God on behalf of another. This is a scriptural and spiritual act.
Some addicted people don’t know they need help, don’t want help, have attempted again and again to get help or are kept from help.
Over three decades ago, I chose the new path.
Each new sober day was a battle to find something good while letting go of old habits and responses to life. Little by little, living became beautiful to me.
God, you rescued Jonah from the whale, and Jesus brought people back to life. We are pleading on behalf of all those addicted in our City to find the help, healing, forgiveness, and the strength needed to recover. Amen.
Next month we will pray for those affected by someone’s drinking or drug use.
Until next week, keep Walking on Mustard Seeds,
Michele Marie Weisman
PS All praise and glory go to Jesus Christ for my sobriety!
PSS Hey. Tomorrow, a company in England, CHRISTIAN FAITH BLOG – MAKEMEAVAILABLE , will post a piece I wrote for them. Will you help me help them? Please stop by their site as a “thank you” for hosting my writing.
You, my dear reader, have a few days to shop at a discount with Make Me Available, until the 4th of September. Use code: MICHELE10 Also, there are some gifted writers on their blog. So grab a cup of coffee or tea, pull up a chair, and be blessed!
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Photo by youssef naddam on Unsplash (arms/sky)
Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash (ocean/help)
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash (praying over man)
Photo by Pisit Heng on Unsplash (risen grave)
Michele, I had no idea of your struggle. Power to you (from God, no doubt!) in getting out of that black hole! It is such a blessing to have you in my life, with your godly perspective. I learn much from you every week! Much love to you!
Awe. Thank you for your kind words, Sally. I have enjoyed writing with you and learning from you.
Thank you for your vulnerability in this post, Michele. By sharing your experience of how Jesus was able to release you from your addiction, you give hope to many others. And your posts are always a welcome reminder to not only intercede for our loved ones, but for the broken and hurting in our communities as well.
Dalene, thank you for your kind words. I am so glad you stopped by.
I’m grateful you turned onto a new path, and what a blessing you’ve been to everyone who knows you, and to those who read this and see your courage and strength as hope for them.
Dianne, such sweet and kind encouragement. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your post and hearts on here 🙂 excited for your new post coming up on mustard seed too 🙂
Awe. Thank you, Sarah! I look forward to you stopping by again. : )