Mahalo Betty and Tracy.  My prayer and meditation also changed a bunch to where it is now because of the program and fellowship support.  I use to pray as taught as a Catholic (no hair on my knees) and repetitious.  It was all talking and no listening either with my ears or eyes and then gratefully because of alcoholism and drug addiction I got to meet the "walkers" in Al-Anon...people who "did" rather than just said and I wanted what they had...peace and serenity of mind and soul.  I learned program prayers and built my meditation based upon  HP leading me to "keep it simple" as I could/can get lost in wordiness.  I loved the 3rd step prayer and still my HP found me to be too wordy..."Keep it simple" HP instructed me and so I do and the prayer at my morning awakening is "Place me where you want me...tell me what to do".  I know that God is already awake and knows everything about what I need and where I can and will help.   MY meditation has also been brought to a simple "God is" (period) because that is true and I can hold on to that meditation 24/7 no matter what else is going on in my life.

Step 11 is a daily practice...a necessity required by step 1.   ((((hugs))))  

Step 11 is my favorite step, too. I utilize it together with the ODAT method of discerning God's will for me each day when I am going through especially difficult times. There is a calming rhythm for me to this step. It helps me focus on what is most important to me each day - God and God's purposes - and it helps me know I am not alone and there is a purpose to my life each day. Otherwise, my life just feels like it is a random bunch of events and I'm sitting in a rowboat banging oars on water but going nowhere but straight to discouragement and depression if I keep trying to row the boat of my life on my own steam.

Hello....New to online recovery.....Loved the way Jerry says the steps lead him to a Simple God....

Everything Does indeed change........thank you

So happy to be here but had to change my name.. had a hard time logging in with old; wouldn't let me .. MeTwo2 .. but anyway .. Step 11 .. well i worked to step 9 the first time, worked to step 4 5 now again for second time but prayer and meditation ? i still do this step even now .. with praying for knowledge of Gods will .. i used to get confused with this .. felt alot like a feely thy will be done .. i just couldn't wrap my fingers around it .. so one day while praying I began to think of .. praying for knowledge .. of thy will be done .. knowledge to know what that really means .. you tell me about it, God .. and he began to bit by bit .. still has to .. My way led me straight to insanity through the doors of alanon .. my way never really did work, regardless of what i'd done; i'd tried everything .. So i am beginning to see it, however slow .. why would i pray for things to Again go back to My way .. what a mess i've had to clean .. do i really know what i'm asking for when i ask for things to be My way .. half lol .. i'm in a whirlwind on my 4th step right now; deep level; how many more of those do i wanna do .. i mean i will always have them but .. how often and few between do i want them because they are my way .. it's why i need them because i've made a mess .. but I relate with hotrods sharing up there too, prayer talking .. meditating listening .. i really never knew how to pray before alanon .. i did many traditional prayers; some i still do but it's expanded .. sitting in the rooms of alanon realising everytime someone shares from the heart, it's really a prayer .. we place it in the center of the room before god to heal .. we listen .. we hear .. we heal a small piece of our past, ourselves, and our todays .. i love this because i get confused at times how to pray with my youngest (10) .. last night we got together to pray (hard for me to do this) and again i began wondering how do we really do this .. i was praying to a god of my past, i didn't understand .. it hit me .. we can just talk about our day or anything we're going through as if we're talking to a friend because we are .. and include others .. it went from there and a little light was shown in my darkness .. speaking of light i heard a beautiful thing before coming in .. with hp giving just what we need for a day .. as in just enough courage to sit through a meeting one day at a time in the beginning until we grow more, etc .. i heard we get enough light for one day .. if we veer into the future we will only see darkness because it isn't time to see the light there yet .. it's in today .. helps me rethink one day at a time .. today .. love this program, the fellowship, and hp .. the loving God expressing himself in group conscience is good .. i have to keep reminding myself that .. my perception of higher power has been clouded for years ..

-- Edited by Serenity4uNme on Tuesday 11th of February 2014 03:54:28 PM

Serenity

 I can so identify with your share.  I too finally "SAW "when i realized that  I was praying ONLY for" MY Will "and then feeling rejected if my prayer went unanswered.

  It did work when I changed my prayer to" His Will."

Hi Step 11 is my favorite. Lately (actually for a long time now) I have been using this Step in a state of desperation to feel better emotionally and to find my way thru my own life. I selected the name enjoylife because I don't know how anymore. I want to find out where I belong in life, what I should be doing and asking trying to make that conscious contact to help me get there.