Asking for help from a Higher Power is critical for success in the 7th step. The AA Seventh Step Prayer is a positive action you can take to ask God’s help to correct thoughts that hold you back, correct mistakes, and help you continue walking day after day toward sobriety.
Changes Healing Center is a JCAHO-accredited treatment center in Phoenix, Arizona. We understand that recovery doesn’t mean only quitting drugs or drinking – it means staying abstinent from substances and other addictive behaviors. We challenge our program graduates to attend weekly Alcoholics Anonymous or guidance meetings as they continue improving their mental health and making spiritual progress.
We invite you to keep reading to learn how the spiritual awakening continues throughout the recovery journey.
Long before reaching the Seventh Step, each AA member has accepted the presence of a Higher Power who offers guidance and direction toward a clean, sober new life. They’ve struggled with their shortcomings, flaws, and developed trust in God. Now, in the Seventh Step Prayer, Higher Power becomes less conceptual and instead becomes a direct means of change.
Here is the text of the Seventh Step Prayer:
“My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.”
(Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, page 76)
Let’s look at a breakdown of the prayer to gain a fuller understanding of its requests.
“My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad.”
The first words of the prayer, “Heavenly Father,” “God,” or “Creator” affirm the presence of the Higher Power. In the rest of the first sentence, the prayer becomes a complete surrender of the self – not only the parts the speaker is proud of, but the character flaws and hidden shame we each live with in daily life.
“I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows.”
This sentence is the heart of the Step 7 Prayer, Higher Power being asked to remove all character defects. These can be twisted thoughts, self-pity, self-defeating attitudes, or others.
These come from the person’s fearless moral inventory, undertaken in previous steps, particularly the 4th Step of AA. Each person saying this daily prayer asks for help removing the roadblocks that hold them back in life and could trigger substance abuse.
“Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding.”
In the final line of the Step 7 prayer, God is acknowledged as a continued source of strength and healing. It promises to carry on with the program not only internally but externally. It suggests the praying person will continue to grow during the remainder of the AA program and beyond.
Interestingly, the line “to do your bidding,” is sometimes expressed as “to do not mine but thou wilt.” That subtle shift suggests a total surrender of self-will and trust in God’s will alone.
Only Step 3 and Step 7 have formal prayers in the AA Big Book. However, praying is a big part off the program and can help AA members as they work on each step. The AA community has adopted many unofficial prayers since they started in the 1930s.
So while you won’t find these in the official meeting book, here are some prayers you might hear in meetings:
Praying for help may feel like wishful thinking for those new to the idea. The second step opens the hearts and minds of those new to praying.
Here’s the text of the 2nd Step Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, I know in my heart that only you can restore me to sanity. I humbly ask that You help me to see and believe in thy power, and that You guide me toward the path of recovery. Amen.”
The Second Step of AA requires becoming willing to open up and believe in a Higher Power. These words can help those with fragile faith as a starting point as they begin the steps.
While not officially published by AA, it can be comforting to recite the 4th Step Prayer:
“Dear Lord, Please help me to honestly take stock of myself. Let me see the truth about myself—my resentments, my fears, my selfishness, and the harm I’ve done to others. Help me be fearless and thorough in this inventory. Grant me the willingness to face the truth and to grow toward spiritual maturity. Amen.”
This prayer can help the person have the right attitude as they take a complete moral inventory, which they need throughout the remainder of the Twelve Step process.
Here is a common version of the unofficial 6th Step Prayer:
Higher Power, I am willing that You now have all of me—good and bad. Help me to become ready to let go of every single defect of character that blocks me from being truly useful to You and to others. Grant me strength and willingness as I prepare for Step 7. Amen.”
This prayer helps the person transition from Step 6, becoming willing to release character defects. In the 7th Step Prayer, God is asked to actually remove them. It’s a fine distinction but one worth pointing out.
As with the previous steps, you won’t find a Step 10 prayer in the Alcoholics Anonymous book. Regardless, many choose to say these words while making indirect amends (and direct amends) to those they’ve harmed:
Let me do Your Will, Higher Power, help me to stay honest today. Show me when I am wrong and give me the strength to admit it. Keep me aware of my actions and Thy way and help me quickly make amends when needed. Let me grow in understanding and peace through Your guidance. Amen.”
This prayer turns wishful thinking about undoing past harms into positive action. It’s a restorative step, necessary for recovery.
As the steps wrap up, the person has allowed God not to bear witness to, but to transform, the person’s life. This unpublished prayer honors that connection:
“Dear God, my spiritual awakening continues to unfold. The help I have received I shall pass on and give to others, both in and out of the fellowship. For this I am responsible. I thank You for the understanding I have gained and for the direction I have been given. I thank you for thy love. Please help me to continue in service and live the program, one day at a time. Amen.”
With Step 12 completed, nothing stands in the way of continuing a life of recovery. This prayer shows gratitude, a heart for service, and spiritual progress. It commits to a recovery for oneself and to bear witness to recovery in others.
Connect with Changes if you love the idea of Alcoholics Anonymous but need more intensive help than you can receive from a Twelve Step group. We understand that you’ve struggled with self-will and your daily life might be unmanageable. You may need the physical health aspects of recovery addressed before you start AA.
That’s okay.
We’re here to provide answers and help you start a new life 24 hours a day. Calling us is free and confidential –reach out for help getting your life back together today.
The Importance of A Higher Power in 12-Step Recovery Programs If you’d asked me in…