A dear friend of mine, a recovering alcoholic, once told me, “We’re all in recovery.” In other words, every soul on earth is recovering from something. If not addiction, then illness. If not illness, then job loss. If not job loss, then grief. And on and on it goes.
If that’s true (and I think it is), then each of us can use a little help praying through recovery. Whatever our need, the strength and stamina to recover comes from God, through prayer. So here are 12 scriptures to help you:
1) Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)
“The Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up his countenance toward you and give you peace.”
2) Psalm 3:3 (NLT)
“But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.”
3) Psalm 18:28 (NIV)
“You, O Lord, light my lamp burning; my God lights up my darkness.”
4) Psalm 27:1 (NIV)
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?”
5) Psalm 32:7 (NIV)
“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
6) Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
7) Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with my right hand of righteousness.”
8) John 14:1 (NIV)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in me as well.”
9) John 14:27 (NIV)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
10) 2 Corinthians 3:5 (CEV)
“We don’t have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all we do.”
11) 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
“[God] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
12) 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control.”
Those verses merely scratch the surface, of course. There are so many assurances and promises in Scripture that we can use virtually every page in praying through recovery. You might try that, in fact.
Or print these out and keep them in your pocket. Or write a couple on some sticky notes and keep them on your bathroom mirror or car dashboard. Or memorize some so you can pray them every day—or many times a day.
Whatever you do, these and other Scriptures can make your experience like that of the psalmist, who sang, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word” (Psalm 119:114 ESV).
