A Gratitude Prayer

sunrise2 pic      You, oh Lord, abide for ever and will not for ever be angry with us, for You have taken pity on us who are earth and ashes; and so it was pleasing in Your sight to give new form to my deformity.
You goaded me within to make me chafe impatiently until You should grow clear to my spiritual sight. At the unseen touch of Your medicine my swelling subsided,
while under the stinging eye-salve of curative pain the fretful darkened vision of my spirit began to improve day by day.

St. Augustine of Hippo

What Is Prayer and Meditation?

Prayer and Meditation is a form of conscious contact with God in which an attempt is made to communicate our needs to God, and reflect upon the will of God. The meaning of meditation is derived from the Latin word meditari (to concentrate). Meditation is the process of deliberately focusing on specific thoughts (e.g. the will of God, a beautiful experience, a spiritual desire, or relief from specific mental or spiritual pain, etc.) and thinking on their meaning in the context of God's Love, and our perspective of that love. This type of meditation is intended to stimulate thought and receive a deeper understanding of God. It is for cultivating the personal relationship with God.

Step Prayers
Step Frame of Thought
Step 1 (admitted defeat) Surrender to reality
Step 2 (came to believe) Faith in One greater than oneself
Step 3 (made a decision) Trust in a Higher Power
Step 4 (took personal inventory) Inventory, and our ownership
Step 5 (admitted our wrongs) Conquering our fears
Step 6 (ready to be released) Readiness for God's work in us
Step 7 (became humble) Humility gains inner peace
Step 8 (willing to make amends) Honesty in who we hurt
Step 9 (made amends) Made right our wrongs
Step 10 (continued inventory) Continued to do the right thing
Step 11 (improve contact with God) Cultivate our spiritual growth
Step 12 (carry the message) Give away what we received
Step 4 Prayer

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Dear God, It is I who have made my life a mess. I have done it, but I cannot undo it. My mistakes are mine, and I will begin a searching and fearless moral inventory. I will write down my wrongs, but I will also include that which is good. I pray for the strength to complete the task.

Our Inspiration

Alcoholics Anonymous World Services AA Grapevine, Inc. Al-Anon Family Groups World Services AA St. Louis Central Service Office