Thought
Being honest, each one of us has at least one thing we’re overly devoted to. If we’re not careful that one thing can dig its claws into our souls. We can end up clinging too tightly to it. Sugar. Entertainment. Phones. Gossip. Left unchecked these can eat away at us, turning our insides rusty, leaving us pale imitations of ourselves. The outward signs of somebody dependent on drugs or alcohol may appear more dramatically visible than the rest of us, but aren’t we all addicts?
It’s never nice seeing people at their lowest, and addiction can magnify the brokenness in our humanity. The good news is God is in the business of restoring people to his original intentions for their lives. This includes your broken neighbour. Some of the most faith filled people are those who can speak freely about their addiction. Recognising their own powerlessness and by surrendering to God they receive a kind of holiness that Paul knew well, ‘I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me’ (2 Corinthians 12: 9). God can use addictions as roads to salvation.
When we present ourselves as well-balanced people it’s easy to convince ourselves we’re doing a fine job of our lives without God. An addict knows they need rescuing.
The challenges of living in proximity to someone battling addiction may present you with boundary issues. It might also mean you’re able to support them or signpost them to professional help. However, this is a thought about prayer, and so we’re focusing on addiction as one way of being led to the altar of Christ. A place to stand in awe of the brokenness of our saviour’s body. A place to bring your neighbour’s brokenness in prayer to be made whole again.
Let’s pray…
Lord,
You tell me to love my neighbour as myself.
I ask you’d save me from those things I cling too tightly upon.
In the same way, I ask you’d save my neighbour from the addiction that’s destroying them.
Help me be the best neighbour I can possibly be in this situation.
Let me love my neighbour as myself.
Break the hold of this idol over their life.
Guide them to the best professional help.
Restore them to the original design you had for them.
Bring love, wholeness, and dignity back into their world.
Use this addiction as a path to salvation.
I bring my neighbour to your altar and ask by the broken body of Christ that they will be made whole.
Amen.