At ReFrame Ministries, we ask our readers and listeners to share their prayer requests with us. We share them each week with our ReFrame Prayer Team volunteers who have committed to praying over them. One recurring theme we often see in the prayer list: requests from, or on behalf of, those who are caught in the grips of addiction. These heartfelt prayer requests for support and God’s intervention show just how painful it is for parents, friends, and spouses to care for those caught in addiction and how deeply individuals are struggling with addiction. Here are a few examples of these touching prayer requests, edited to protect privacy:

I desire to be totally liberated from pornography. Every time that I think that the battle is over, it's really just beginning. Running straight ahead into a brick wall. I just don't comprehend why this addiction is so powerful. Thank you, everyone who is praying and standing in intercession on behalf of my spiritual journey.

My husband has an addiction that has resulted in a series of dangerous choices and he has landed himself in prison. Pray I get rid of the anger and hurt and treat him the way God would want me to.

Please pray for our family, my son has struggled and suffered from alcohol for many years. The resources to help these poor people are never enough and many don’t get the treatment they need.

Pray for me, as I've been in and out of jail for most of my life. I've been using drugs and alcohol and finally got accepted into a recovery program. Pray that a bed opens up soon and that my probation goes well.

What if someone who has struggled with addiction taught us how to pray for them?

Feeling Helpless

These prayer requests resonate with me personally: I have watched in anguish my dear cousin, Adrianna, use alcohol and other addictive substances to try to cope with mental health struggles and trauma. (Adrianna has encouraged me to share her story with you.) So when readers and listeners ask for prayers to help them fight addiction or when a loved one asks us to pray for someone caught in the prison of substance abuse, I can’t help but think of how helpless I felt during the many sleepless nights before Adrianna finally got onto a path to recovery.

All I could do for her was pray.

Praying for Recovery

Adrianna persevered through recovery centers and intensive psychological treatment. She exemplifies the power of prayer. She is quick to share her story of healing and restoration as an encouragement to others who are suffering. Today, Adrianna has been sober for over five years and now thrives with her two amazing kids and very supportive husband. She is an inspiration to me and a testament to God’s healing touch.

I shared with Adrianna that I sometimes struggle with finding the words to pray for people dealing with addiction. In response, she wrote two sets of prayers and gave me permission to share them with you. You can pray these verbatim or use them as a template for your own prayers.

Prayers for those we love caught in addiction:

Lord, I call upon you to guide and direct me to help _______. They are lost in their vices and held captive by their choices. Please help me set boundaries to keep them safe. Remind me that I cannot control them or be responsible for them. Help me come to terms with their choices even if I do not agree. Remind me that you are with them in the darkness and will bless them. May they feel your warmth in their hearts. Though I am powerless in this situation, I know you hold them, and this gives me peace. Thank you for your faithful, enduring love.

Lord, during this unknown and terrifying place/season, please keep _______ safe. I am at a loss for what else I can do to support them in this dark time. Their addictions hold them captive, and they are unable to flourish as you created them to do. Please, through this painful trial, I ask for guidance in what to do and where to go for help and support. Help me forgive. Help me set boundaries to walk a new path with them. Lord, I ask for your help in taking the right steps. I am powerless in my grief, and I know in my heart you will direct me.

Honest prayers my own struggle with addiction

Lord, blessed be the day when my “one day” becomes my Day One. May I no longer turn my attention outward and cause harm to myself or others with my addictions, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Open my eyes to recognize the signs of my self-destructive choices before they spiral to a point of no return. Grant me patience with my own ego, and help me acknowledge my need for your guidance. I cannot recover without your help. Provide me the resilience to turn minutes into hours, hours into days, days into weeks, and weeks into years. I understand my strength comes from you as my guiding light to find the path I cannot see and navigate this treacherous darkness. Reveal positive and healing moments I’ve experienced along this journey to help keep temptation at bay and remind me of why I cannot go back. Hear my prayer, and grant me the strength to remain sober.

Lord, fear of the unknown, fear of failure, and desperation surround my heart. I desire change. My addictions have derailed me from the path ahead because I wanted to live life on my own terms. I stopped surrendering to you. My anger, stress, and depression are too big for me to carry and too big for me to fix on my own. I turned my back towards you, mistakenly thinking you would shun me, deeming myself unworthy of your perfect love and generosity. Please, Lord, I need help to live a life free from the heaviness and shackles of addiction. I need help. I must let go of control, accept my powerlessness, and walk away from tempting things. Please forgive me and grant me strength to pursue a life free from addiction. Remind me that you walk with me every step of the way, even when I feel stuck.

Additional Resources

If you need someone to talk to immediately for encouragement and find resources near you, please call the SAMHSA (Substance and Mental Health Services Administration) National Helpline. It's a free and confidential referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders: 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you have a loved one struggling with addiction, Celebrate Recovery, Al-Anon, or Nar-Anon can provide expert support to you and your family as you care for a loved one held captive by alcohol or substance abuse. You can also read these two articles from our sister ministry, Family Fire, about dealing with a loved one who has an addiction:

Coping when your loved one is in an active addiction

Caring for Your Child with an Addiction

How pornography affects the user and how addiction to pornography requires intervention