Big Book Prayers

 Lord, make me a channel of thy PEACE,
that where there is hatred, I may bring LOVE;
that where there is wrong,
 I may bring the spirit of FORGIVENESS;
that where there is discord, I may bring HARMONY;
that where there is error, I may bring TRUTH;
that where there is doubt, I may bring FAITH;
that where there is despair, I may bring HOPE;
that where there are shadows, I may bring LIGHT;
that where there is sadness, I may bring JOY.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to 
COMFORT than to be comforted;
to UNDERSTAND, than to be understood;
to LOVE, than to be loved.
For it is by SELF-FORGETTING that one finds.
It is by FORGIVING that one is forgiven.
It is by the ego dying that one awakens to ETERNAL LIFE. 

 God, today help me set aside everything I think I know about You, everything I think I know about myself, everything I think I know about others, and everything I think I know about my own recovery so I may have an open mind and a new experience with all these things. Please help me see the truth. 

 God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

As it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make things right

If I surrender to His Will;

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

And supremely happy with Him

Forever and ever in the next.

Amen.

 Dear Lord,
I admit that I am powerless over addiction.
I admit that my life is unmanageable when I try to control it.
Help me this day to understand
The true meaning of powerlessness.
Remove from me all denial of my addiction. 

 God,
I offer myself to Thee
To build with me & to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.

Take away my difficulties,
That victory over them may bear witness
To those I would help of Thy Power,
Thy love & Thy way of life,
May I do Thy will always! 

 My Creator,
I am now willing that you should have all of me, good & bad.
I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character
Which stands in the way of my usefulness to you & my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here to do your bidding. 

 Higher Power, as I understand You,
I pray to keep my connection with You
Open & clear from the confusion of daily life.
Through my prayers & meditation I ask especially for
Freedom from self-will, rationalization, & wishful thinking.
I pray for the guidance of correct thought & positive action.
Your will Higher Power, not mine, be done.