Step 11. Prayer with good intentions.

[Signal30]

Signals Disclaimer: The following information on the 12 steps, are from how I interpreted the Big Book and/or the 12 & 12 book. I did my absolute best to explain what the books say on a step as simple as possible, but without straying from what the book says. All exact quotes have been changed for copyright reasons. Some of what I have written is from original homework assignments on the steps from what my sponsor gave me to do. Hopefully what I write can help. If anything, take what is useful and leave the rest. Keep it simple!

The following is how I understood the book the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions on the chapter of the Eleventh Step. Most of this came from step homework my sponsor requested me to do. Great stepwork that helped me understand this step.


Step Eleven

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

(Getting closer to God through prayer and meditation. Praying with the correct intentions. God’s will not mine.)


I personally began to understand more and more the importance of meaningful prayer and meditation every time I read about step 11 and when I pray. I’m learning that when it comes to meditation it is more than just finding a good location of calm and solitude.

Meditation is about being in the right state of mind by focusing a good spiritual objective before praying. When I pray, I like to have a favorite prayer in front of me, (3rd or 7th step prayer.) I focus on parts of the prayer that make an impact on me. For example, “Relieve me of the bondage of self”, reminds me to give God my defects of character, fears, selfishness and other negative emotions. As I continue to read the prayer, it reminds me to pray for Gods will, not mine so I may better serve others. This is method I use right before I pray. This helps to put me in the right state of mind and pray from the heart.

I do see myself as a beginner in improving my conscious contact with my higher power, but I understand the importance of meditation with prayer. Meditation helps with the meaningfulness of the prayer. Opening the channel the best I can, as the 12 & 12 mentions. Meditation I believe, clears the cluttered mind and opens the heart.


When reading about prayer, I liked how the 12 & 12 gave examples of praying with the wrong intentions. It reminds me to pray for Gods will, not mine. In the past I prayed for selfish reasons, and sure enough they were useless. The two examples of wrong intentions, the first being to ask God to find solutions to specific problems that I had, and the second being how I think others should be helped. These are self-serving demands to God.

When praying I still get confused and a little frustrated sometimes. I clutter my mind questioning myself if every phrase I say to God is self-serving or not. Then I am reminded from what the 12 &12 says about prayer with good intentions are matters of knowledge and experience. It’s almost like both the BB and the 12&12 know that I’m probably going to make things harder than they are at first. Through time, patience, practice, and maintaining the thoughts of good intentions, I will be able to obtain that knowledge and experience, always remembering to pray for Gods will not mine.


Tom

[sugErspun]

It was helpful for me to look at it the following way:

Meditation is to listen
Prayer is to talk

That is how we communicate...

[nandm]

Thanks

[Alike]

Took a while to separate day dreaming from Meditation.

Had no trouble praying talking was easy my prayers have change though from asking mercy for me and justice for you -to mercy for us all- only for the grace of God their go I.
I guess I am Alike