Day 6 Prayers for Hope

Ask God to restore hope in their hearts for a better future.

Psalm 33:22"May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you."

Hope is essential to a joyful life. Hopelessness is a despair like no other. Hope is what fuels our mind, body, and spirits to keep going when the going gets tough. The best source of hope that I know of is Jesus Christ. I honestly don’t know how people who don’t have that hope get through life during the best of times much less the hard times.

Your loved one, no matter how far down the path of addiction they are, is not too far gone. If there is breath in their lungs, there is hope for their future and when there is no more breath in their lungs, there is hope for their eternity. One of the few things in life that I can guarantee is that no matter how much you love them, God loves them more. As much as you want their recovery, God wants it more. As much as you want to reach them, God wants it more. The difference, though, is that He has the power to fix it and we don’t. He is faithful to pursue His children even if He has to follow them into trap houses, hospitals, jails, or prison. He is worthy of the trust it takes to put our hope in Him.

The thing that makes trusting our loved ones to Him so scary is that we know He will “fix” it but we are afraid he may not “fix” it the way we want Him to. What if fixing it involves jail time or overdose or homelessness or violence against them or the thousands of other things that haunt us? I can’t promise you that it doesn’t. What I can promise you is that He will be with you and with them through whatever lies ahead. He will give you the strength, the peace, the courage and any of the other gifts He offers through the Holy Spirit that you need. It may not be easy, but you will never be alone.

The closer to Jesus we get the more hope we have and the more peace we feel. When we hand over our loved ones to Jesus, don’t be surprised to feel a void there. We’ve worked so hard to protect them, to fix them, to worry about them, etc. that when we step back it can feel a little empty. All that energy we have focused on them needs somewhere to go. I suggest focusing on your own walk with Jesus. I suggest doing an exhaustive inventory of your own heart and soul. What does Jesus want to work on in your life? Is there sin or unforgiveness or anger or resentment you need to work on (not necessarily involving your addicted loved one)? If you are still on this side of the pearly gates, Jesus is still working in and on you. My recommendation is to focus that energy there because that is where, with God’s help, we have the power to change things. We can give our addicted loved ones the gift of a healthier, more whole person to come back to when they do seek recovery.

May God bless you on this journey!

Precious Heavenly Father,

We come before You today with hearts full of love and concern for our loved ones who are battling addiction. Lord, You are the source of all hope, and we ask that You fill their hearts with Your hope, even in the midst of their struggles.

Grant them the strength to believe that healing and freedom are possible through You. When they feel overwhelmed by darkness, remind them that Your light is always present, guiding them forward. May they find courage in Your promises and trust that You are working in their lives, even when the road feels long and difficult.

Father, help them to see beyond their pain and addiction and into the future You have planned for them—a future filled with hope, peace, and wholeness. Surround them with people who can lift them up in love and support and give them the resilience to keep fighting and believing in the new life You offer.

We thank You for Your unfailing love, and we trust that You will carry our loved ones through this journey, renewing their hope day by day.

In Jesus' name, we pray.

Amen.

Romans 15:13"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

1 Peter 1:3"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

Romans 5:5"And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

Hebrews 11:1"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

Psalm 130:5"I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope."