This chapter i found baffling when I first came into the rooms. I still read it and came to really like it. I found it useful to read this in conjunction with specifically step 2 in the 12 & 12. The nest chapter (in the 12 & 12) is also quite useful. As has been said before the step says "Came to believe..." and "could restore us to sanity".
I spent an awful ammount of time on this step. I thought I had to be a philospher or theologian. I spent ages trying to find a god. Buddha, Loki and Jehovah. Yet, while i liked these things and had a lot of time for people who had them as their higher power; I could not take the leap of faith.
Then a kindly man spoke to me one day. You been coming a while haven't you. Yeah I said. Why do you keep coming back. Because I believe AA will help me not drink one day at a time and help me not be so nuts. There you go, at this point you are believe AA, a power greater than you could help you not drink and restore your sanity. He also said other faith would/could happen if open to it.
So here I am a former atheist, now a praying agnostic ( because I just dont know about god(s)) who still believes the steps and AA can restore my sanity. I suspect their might be a guardian spirit or what not but cant prove it. It was so much easier when I didn't have to know but just belived that something greater than me could help restore my sanity. The only thing is I know if there is a higher power, is that its not me!! When I drank sometimes I would oscillate in thinking I was worse than poo on a shoe and that I was the new son of god.
I now pray something I had never done, I use the word Lord out of habit, as that was the way I was taught when I was a kid. It started with the serenity prayer and the St Francis prayer. I pray that I can be useful little engine and do its will and not mine. I also pray that my defects of character to be taken away and for help to pass through the day being a help to people and that my anger be curbed just for the day. I pray for willingness to do that I dont want to do. I pray for peoples HP to give them what their HP thinks they need. I dont know whether these prayers go to Juda, Allah, buddah or to the inbox of some space alien; working on an intergalatic garbage hauler, called Dave. But prayer helps this alcoholic.
One day I hope to have a higher power, as yet I dont have one, but I am willing to have one and maybe when the HP is ready to grant me knowledge of him/her/it I will know.
I hope this might help. If it doesn't, no biggie, just my experience.
