Twelve Step Prayers

The Twelve Step Prayers were created using the text of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Prayers have often been part of working a 12 step program, according to ones belief in a Higher Power. As such, many people working a 12 step program have used certain prayers in relation to working certain steps or in their daily walk in recovery. See Serenity Prayer and Prayers For Alcoholics

Serenity Prayer

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will.
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.

— By Reinhold Niebuhr

Man Stairs Heaven Old Man Stairway Steps Sky

Stairways to Heaven

First Step Prayer

  • We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

Dear Lord,
I admit that I am powerless over my addiction.
I admit that my life is unmanageable when I try to control it.
Help me this day to understand
The true meaning of powerlessness.
Remove from me all denial of my addiction.

Second Step Prayer

  • Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Heavenly Father,
I know in my heart that only you can restore me to sanity.
I humbly ask that you remove all twisted thought &
Addictive behavior from me this day.
Heal my spirit & restore in me a clear mind.

Third Step Prayer

  • Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

God,
I offer myself to Thee
To build with me & to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.

Take away my difficulties,
That victory over them may bear witness
To those I would help of Thy Power,
Thy love & Thy way of life,
May I do Thy will always!

Fourth Step Prayer

  • Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Dear God,
It is I who has made my life a mess.
I have done it, but I cannot undo it.
My mistakes are mine &
I will begin a searching & 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.

Fifth Step Prayer

  • Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Higher Power,
My inventory has shown me who I am,
Yet I ask for Your help
In admitting my wrongs to another person & to You.
Assure me, & be with me, in this Step,
For without this Step I cannot progress in my recovery.
With Your help, I can do this, & I do it.

Sixth Step Prayer

  • Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Dear God,
I am ready for Your help
In removing from me the defects of character
Which I now realize are an obstacle to my recovery.
Help me to continue being honest with myself &
Guide me toward spiritual & mental health.

Seventh Step Prayer

  • Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

My Creator,
I am now willing that you should have all of me, good & bad.
I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character
Which stands in the way of my usefulness to you & my fellows.
Grant me strength, as I go out from here to do your bidding.

Eighth Step Prayer

  • Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

Higher Power,
I ask Your help in making my list of all those I have harmed.
I will take responsibility for my mistakes &
Be forgiving to others as You are forgiving to me.
Grant me the willingness to begin my restitution.
This I pray.

Ninth Step Prayer

  • Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Higher Power,
I pray for the right attitude to make my amends,
Being ever mindful not to harm others in the process.
I ask for Your guidance in making indirect amends.
Most important, I will continue to make amends
By staying abstinent, helping others &
Growing in spiritual progress.

Tenth Step Prayer

  • Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

I pray I may continue:
To grow in understanding & effectiveness;
To take daily spot check inventories of myself;
To correct mistakes when I make them;
To take responsibility for my actions;
To be ever aware of my negative &
Self-defeating attitudes & behaviors;
To keep my willfulness in check;
To always remember I need Your help;
To keep love & tolerance of others as my code; &
To continue in daily prayer how I can best serve You,
My Higher Power.

Eleventh Step Prayer

  • Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

Higher Power, as I understand You,
I pray to keep my connection with You
Open & clear from the confusion of daily life.
Through my prayers & meditation I ask especially for
Freedom from self-will, rationalization, & wishful thinking.
I pray for the guidance of correct thought & positive action.
Your will Higher Power, not mine, be done.

Twelfth Step Prayer

  • Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Dear God,
My spiritual awakening continues to unfold.
The help I have received I shall pass on & give to others,
Both in & out of the Fellowship.
For this opportunity I am grateful.
I pray most humbly to continue walking day by day
On the road of spiritual progress.
I pray for the inner strength & wisdom
To practice the principles of this way of life in all I do & say.
I need You, my friends, & the program every hour of every day.
This is a better way to live.

Leave a Reply