Day 18 Prayers for Discipline

Ask for the discipline needed to follow through with treatment and recovery plans.

Hebrews 12:11

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

I want to start today by saying I screwed up. I feel like I missed an opportunity yesterday and it has been nagging at me. Through these prayers and reflections, I have been encouraging you as the loved one of an addicted adult to do the same hard things we are asking our loved ones to do in their recovery but when it came to comfort I just skipped right over us. I want you to know that I am praying for comfort for you as well because I know just how painful it is to love an addict. It is equally important that we turn to Jesus for His comfort in our distress. That is one of the ways we grow closer to Jesus in our trials and how we build the trust that He is faithful to us. I hope my words have helped you find some comfort but more importantly I hope you are opening your Bible and letting the word of God comfort and strengthen you. Nothing I or anyone else can say can hold a candle to the Word of God.

Now… on to discipline. Nobody wants to do the things they need to do all the time. We especially don’t want to do things that are difficult and make us uncomfortable and there are a lot of things our loved ones have to do, especially in early recovery, that are just that. It takes a lot of strength to keep getting up and doing the next right thing. There are no off days in recovery. Recovery is like paddling upstream.

You don’t have to turn around and paddle the other way to lose ground. You just have to take your hands off of the paddles. It is a constant battle and it takes discipline to keep fighting.

This is one reason we can’t manage their recovery. We can not control someone into sobriety, much less recovery. We do not have the capabilities of staying on top of them 24 hours a day. If they are only in recovery because you are making them, there will inevitably come a day when your head is turned and they will bolt. They have to want this for themselves. No amount of us wanting it for them is going to get it done. So that is what we are asking God for today - to give them the discipline and a deep desire to do these things for themselves.

We can also ask for the discipline for ourselves for the difficult things that loving someone in addiction requires. It is so hard to lay down the illusion we have controlling or managing the situation. It is excruciating to watch our loved ones suffer and not be able to do anything to help. My prayer for us, though, is that we can release that control to Jesus and draw closer to Him than we have ever been before. While our loved ones recovery builds discipline in them, may the Lord build our discipline muscle as well.

May God bless you on this journey!

Precious Heavenly Father,

Today we come before You asking for the gift of discipline for our loved ones struggling with addiction. Lord, we know that true healing requires commitment, perseverance, and strength, and we ask that You provide the discipline they need to follow through with their treatment and recovery plans.

Help them to resist the temptation to give up when the path feels difficult, and instead, grant them the focus and determination to stay the course. Surround them with supportive people who encourage and hold them accountable, and remind them daily that Your strength is made perfect in their weakness.

We trust in Your power to guide them step by step, and we believe in the transformation that only You can bring. Thank You for being with them in every challenge, and for helping them build a life of wholeness and freedom.

In Jesus’ mighty name,

Amen.

Proverbs 3:11-12

"My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son He delights in."

Proverbs 12:1

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid."

Job 5:17

"Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."

Proverbs 19:20

"Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise."

Psalm 94:12

"Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law."