by Lucy (Louisiana)
Dear Lord,
It’s Sunday morning and I thank you so much for another day Lord, because you didn’t have to wake me this morning. I love you lord and I want to follow your path for my life.Lord, I need help for my son, John Reed Jr., who has a drug addiction Lord. I don’t want to be the parent who is an enabler.
Lord please help me to be strong in my part in the assistance of helping get back to reality, for I now understand his must do it himself.Lord I’m asking that you keep him covered by your precious blood Lord.
Lord keep him as he travel Lord God on the highways and by ways father God.
Thank you LORD
LORD hear my prayer
Return to A Prayer for Family
www.praywithme.com
Here is a prayer to pray over anyone suffering with Drug addiction.
Some biblical scholars argue whether or not Drug addiction is of Human Nature or of Demonic nature. We aren’t going to weigh in on this argument. The fact is, no matter what causes the addiction- Freewill/Devil or both, our friends and family members need our prayers and the Lord’s help.
We ask that you pray this prayer over your loved one, inserting his or her name where prompted, and read aloud for all of creation to hear you. We have prayed over this prayer and are in agreement with you. The bible clearly states that when two or more people are present, the Holy Spirit is there and active. We have prayed for you and over this prayer and we believe the Holy Spirit will respond to your prayer and cries for help.
We say Amen to your prayer. Lets Pray:
Father God, we thank you for all of creation and we thank you for the gift of our Family, Friends and Loved ones in our lives. We thank you that we can be a blessing to them, and that they can in return can be a blessing to us when needed. We thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ, and also for the sacrifice of Jesus for all of our sins. We praise You God, Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.
Lord, you as our creator, we trust in your name so we call for your help day and night. Lord, you know how I feel every moment when I think of (Name Here). It hurts to see (Name Here) being ill both physically and mentally from the effects of drugs.
Heavenly Father I lift up (Name Here) to you and ask for mercy to give (his/her) life back and to show (Name Here) that through Your Mercy and Grace they can live a clean life again. Help (Name Here) hit rock bottom Lord so this vicious cycle of abuse will stop. Open (Name Here)’s heart to the truth and take away the confusion of this world and remove the influence of the Devil and his Demons that might have a stronghold in (Name Here)’s life. We acknowledge that some addictions are of Human nature, but with some God, we acknowledge that the enemy is trying to destroy a person or household.
God place Your loving arms of protection around (Name Here), and surround (Name Here) with a battalion of Guardian Angels. Lord God, I believe that the Army of Heaven is greater than the Army of darkness and I believe that (Name Here) will overcome any satanic influence in their life.
Remove those enablers from (Name Here)’s life. Remove those who perpetuate the use of drugs, or have an influence on (Name here)’s life. Surround (Name Here) with only clean, good, wholesome, God fearing people who positively support them- not seek to drag them down.
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Lord Jesus, help (Name Here) to be brave and not give up. When (Name Here) is weak, lift (him/her) up. Increase their faith and allow them to know that You will be her to save (him/her) and that You have a plan for (Name Here) because You are a loving and merciful Christ and God. I pray that (Name Here) will come to You and ask for Your help, and that You WILL answer Father.
Matt 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
I believe You Jesus, though Your stripes can and will deliver everyone who is trapped in this living nightmare of addiction. God take away and break the addiction to prescription pills, street drugs (Name known drugs here), Alcohol and Marijuana.
Place conviction in their hearts, not condemnation, and clear a path to correction in their lives and healing through Your Love, Hope, Faith and Forgiveness and Grace. Expose (Name Here) to the calling on (his/her) life. Work thought their freewill and allow them to be real with the people in their lives, and allow (Name Here) to be real with (his/her)self.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,and with his wounds we are healed.
Lord, open (Name Here)’s heart, body, soul and spirit to let go of any other addictions in their life that could also strengthen the addiction to drugs, be it sex, anger, control, lying, shopping- whatever takes their focus from You Father God. Lord Jesus, lead them out of the darkness. Get them the help they need to get and be with them though the process, and while they fight their freewill, allow (Name Here) to stay clean.
Acts 5:16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.
I also pray that You give me peace that surpasses understanding, as I continue to try and deal with this situation. Allow the Holy Spirit to flow through me and give me wisdom and understanding. Allow the peace of Christ to come over me, and that the knowledge You Father are actively working on this. Jesus be my peace, strength and rock.
Allow us to stand up for what is right with our loved one and not enable them to continue this addiction. Let my claiming their prayer over (Name Here) be a catalyst for Your action in their life. And allow me the knowledge of when to step away and allow them to hit bottom, if that is a part of your plan for their life.
Also Father God, I ask that you be with every Father, Mother, Sister Brother, Son, Daughter, Close Family member, Friend who is crying out to you for their loved ones addiction recovery. We acknowledge Lord that this may take time, so allow me and those praying for our loved ones, friend and family- strength and conviction to hold the course and allow you to work in Your time.
Lord we claim:
Mark 11:22-24 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Acts 4:29-30 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
Thank you Father God for hearing to our petitions for our Family, Friends and Loved ones that are suffering from addictions. And thank your for hearing my petition laid before Your Throne in the Throne room of Heaven for (Name Here) my (relation to you).
I ask and believe that you are working in my and (Name Here)’s favor. This in Jesus name, the Holy Spirit and You God Almighty. Amen!
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charginglife.com
Two guys walked up to us in the strip mall parking lot just as my husband and I were about to get in our car. They were carrying a cooler. Something about them gave me a strange vibe, so I opened the passenger door and climbed in.
“Would you like to buy some banana bread?” I heard one of the men ask David.
What do they really want? I wondered.
“No, thanks,” David said. “My wife makes the best banana bread.”
“I understand,” the man said. “Please take this, though.” He handed David some sort of paper.
“Sure,” David said casually, no tension in his voice as he opened the driver’s-side door. He’s a retired Houston cop, and if alarm bells weren’t ringing for him, I figured there was nothing to worry about.
Besides, it wasn’t as if I didn’t have enough on my mind. The oldest of my three kids, my son Wesley, had been addicted to drugs since his early teens. But I’d never seen him as hopeless as he was now, at 20.
Lately every time my phone rang, I expected it to be the morgue asking me to come identify his body.
Really, I’d worried a lot about Wes right from the start. Changes that other toddlers got used to with just a little fussing totally threw him. Everyday things like wearing long sleeves, taking timeouts and putting on sunscreen triggered huge tantrums that took him forever to come down from.
It tore at my heart to see the frustration and misery in his big blue eyes. Even worse, sometimes there was nothing I could do to ease his pain. It was as if he didn’t want me to help him.
The only place I could turn was my faith. Every night when I tucked Wes into bed, I would lay one hand on him and ask God aloud to protect him, our family and anyone we knew who was having a tough time.
Then I’d say a silent prayer, not wanting to put pressure on my little boy, who already struggled with so much. God, please make life easier for Wesley, I prayed. Bring him peace.
I hoped he’d grow out of his oversensitivity once he was in school, but if anything, his moods grew more extreme. At one point, I tried making all his food from scratch, hoping that if I eliminated additives and preservatives it might help him.
We took him to a chiropractor, an acupuncturist, a psychologist and a psychiatrist, who diagnosed Wes with ADHD and put him on medication. Thank you, Lord, I thought. This is what I’ve been praying for. The meds didn’t bring him much relief, though.
When Wes was a teenager, I took a job as a flight attendant, which had me away from home only on weekends so it wouldn’t disrupt the kids’ routines. Still, he had frightening outbursts—he’d bang his head against the wall, beat things with his fists.
I worried about his younger sister and brother too. They weren’t getting as much attention from me and Wes’s behavior had to be traumatizing for them.
Wes’s dad and I had our own issues—dealing with a troubled child puts a tremendous strain on a marriage and ours wasn’t the strongest—but we did everything we could for Wes. We gave him love. We gave him rules. He broke them all.
Wes was over at a friend’s one day when I called to check in. He sounded off, his words slurred. “You okay, Wes?” I asked.
“Yeah, Mom…” he mumbled. “I’m… fine.”
He’s lying, I thought. The minute Wes got home, I confronted him. He admitted to smoking pot. “But I don’t have a problem,” he said. I dropped to my knees and sobbed. I knew life was a constant struggle for Wes, but drugs at 14?
“Why couldn’t I have seen this coming and stopped it?” I cried out to God. “Why didn’t you? You say in your Word that you love Wes and me, so why are you allowing this to happen?”
Wes was right. He didn’t have a problem. He had a full-blown addiction. He was caught at school hiding a joint. I found more pot and a pipe in the attic above his room. From there it was tranquilizers, narcotic painkillers, hallucinogens.
When Wes was 16, his dad and I divorced and Wes went to live with him. Even though we weren’t in the same house, his addiction consumed me.
I managed to keep things together at home, barely, and take care of my other two kids. On the road, though, I’d lock myself into my hotel room and scream, not caring who heard me. I was that desperate to release my own pain.
God, why haven’t you brought my son the peace I asked for? Can’t you see he’s suffering? Don’t you care?
If it hadn’t been for another flight attendant I met at work, a wonderful man named David, my spirit would have been completely broken. David was kind, supportive and strong. His background as a narcotics officer gave him insight and understanding about my son’s struggles. And mine.
“We’re going to get through this. So will Wes,” he told me. “We’ve got God on our side.” Having David in my life made me want to believe that again, hope again.
David and I got married when Wes was 17. As much joy as our marriage brought me, it was tempered by the heartache of watching my son plummet further and further into the hell of addiction.
I can’t remember how many times I confronted him, pleaded with him to get clean. Or how many times he landed in hospitals or rehab, only to start using again as soon as he got out.
Now Wes was 20 and I felt like I was in mourning, with the terrible grief of a mother who knows her child is lost to her, beyond prayer, beyond hope.
I wanted to rest my head against the dash and cry. Instead I put on my seat belt and watched the two guys walk away with their cooler. And their banana bread. What was that all about, anyway?
David got in the driver’s seat. “I think you need to see this,” he said, handing me the paper he’d been given.
It was a flyer. “Victory Family Center: The Road to Recovery Starts Here” the front proclaimed. A shiver ran down my spine.
David had started to drive away. “Wait!” I said. “Turn around.”
Back in the parking lot we spoke to one of the men with the banana bread.
“Victory Family Center has a six-month live-in recovery program,” he told us. “Residents participate in daily chapel services, group sessions, Bible studies and various work activities designed to motivate and build character. All our services are free.”
To help support the center, residents sold banana bread, which also gave them an opportunity to tell others about the ways God had worked in their lives.
I felt that shiver again, and I knew he had to be at work right here and right now. I called Wes on my cell phone. “There’s this place I think you should check out,” I said. “It’s a rehab center that really focuses on God. Please just see how it is. Not for me. For yourself.”
Silence. Was he going to hang up or tell me to stay out of his life? I braced myself.
“Yeah, okay,” Wes said. “I’ll go, I guess.”
David was the one who took Wes to Victory Family Center that very night. I couldn’t bring myself to go. If he refused to check himself in, I wouldn’t be able to take it. As soon as David got home, I ran to him. “Please tell me he stayed,” I said. “Please tell me something good.”
“The first thing the counselors did was open their arms and hug Wes,” he said. “They told him they loved him and were there for him no matter what.”
On my first visit to the Victory Family campus, I saw that love in action. The place was very structured—no TVs, no couches to lounge on. Every resident was given a job, something to take responsibility for. “I love it here,” Wes told me. “I feel like I have a purpose.”
Still, after he finished up the six months, he relapsed. But now I understood that relapse was part of the disease. He got clean again and recommitted to Victory Family for a two-year program.
He traveled all over the Houston area with a cooler full of banana bread, helping addicts get on the road to recovery. Helping others get straight helped him stay straight. David and I talked to him all the time, and we visited regularly with his sister and brother too.
One afternoon David and I took Wes out for lunch. “Mom, if I hadn’t gone through everything that I did,” Wes said, “I never would have changed or given my life to Christ.” His big blue eyes were filled with light, with life—and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“I’m so proud of you, Wes,” I said to him. “I…”
Before I could finish, he spoke again.
“And, Mom, when I wake up in the morning I am at peace. And when I go to bed at night, I have peace.”
My deepest prayer for my son was answered, a miracle as sweet as banana bread.
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