There is no right way to pray.

Prayer is not a requirement of Twelve Step programs. In fact, the program has no requirements. It has only suggestions that if followed will change how we see our experiences. This, in turn, mysteriously changes our very experiences. One suggestion is that we seek, through prayer and meditation, to know God and God's will for us.

The idea of prayer scares some of us initially. It seems religious. However, we learn from other people, if we're open to their words, that the program is not religious but spiritual. This means that we can expect help from a Power who wants to safeguard our lives. All we have to do is let that Power in, using any method that feels comfortable. Kneeling to pray isn't for everyone. Friendly casual "chats" appeals to some. Others seek the knowledge of God through meaningful heartfelt prayer. Whatever is comfortable is not only adequate but appropriate.

Praying in our own special way becomes a wonderful habit. It protects us all day long, giving us strength every time we need it.

“We shouldn’t be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly. It works, if we have the proper attitude and work at it. It would be easy to be vague about this matter. Yet, we believe we can make some definite and valuable suggestions.”  Big Book pgs 85 & 86

"On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self- pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives." Big Book pg 86

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24

WE PAUSE . . . AND ASK

Today I humbly ask God for the grace to find the space between my impulse and my action; to let flow a cooling breeze when I would respond with heat; to interrupt fierceness with gentle peace; to accept the moment which allows judgment to become discernment; to defer to silence when my tongue would rush to attack or defend. I promise to watch for every opportunity to turn to God for guidance. I know where this power is: it resides within me, as clear as a mountain brook, hidden in the hills – it is the unsuspected Inner Resource. I thank my Higher Power for this world of light and truth I see when I allow it to direct my vision. I trust it today and hope it trusts me to make all effort to find the right thought or action today. 

From http://www.daily-reflections.com/

“As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action.” ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.87

Luke 11:9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable

The very first step of Alcoholics Anonymous is to Admit Complete Defeat. To admit that we are powerless over Alcohol and that are lives have become unmanageable.

The real first step in AA is to admit that you are powerless over the alcohol in any and all forms and that your life has become unmanageable. In short, the first step isn't to take charge over your will; it's admitting that your will got you in trouble. It's not a step of empowerment, but of surrender.

The very best way to take the first step is to surrender completely and without reservation. In order to do this you must have W.H.O. The WHO of AA will help you get through every step. The WHO of AA is the Willingness, the Honesty, and the Open Mindedness to proceed. Without this your ego will over power your initial gift of desperation and you will go back out.

Well, let’s take a closer look at that one. Complete defeat is complete, meaning everything, completely, utterly, totally. So that would mean that our powerlessness doesn’t stop at just Alcohol, but stretches much, much further into every aspect of our lives.

The truth is that we have an affliction that not only affects every aspect of our life, but almost every aspect of every life of those that come into contact with us as well.

I believe the lesson Bill Wilson tried to pass on to us through Step One goes something like this: We alcoholics are POWERLESS over alcohol – that means when we take alcohol in any form, it triggers within us an allergic reaction that results in a physical craving – this carving leads inevitably to yet another drunken spree and to all the attendant problems that go with it. But these many problems are not the thing that makes our lives unmanageable – they are only the consequences of our destructive drinking and they do make life one chaotic mess!

But when we finally make up our mind to quit – it's only then we discover that our lives have become UNMANAGEABLE – that we are afflicted with a mental obsession – that "we have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes nonexistent. … We are without defense against the first drink." When the physical allergy of the body (POWERLESS) is coupled with the mental obsession (UNMANAGABLE) the Big Book says we are suffering from "a hopeless condition of mind and body." If we want to sum up the lesson of Step One in a single word, that one word is: HOPELESS!

Step One is the necessary beginning we need to journey out of the pit of despair and onto the road to recovery.

“Thy will, not mine, be done.”

Step 10 Prayer

"Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of Gods will into all of our activities. How can I best serve Thee — Thy will (not mine) be done."
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

I ask simply that throughout the day God place in me the best understanding of His will that I can have for that day, and that I be given the grace by which I may carry it out. As the day goes on, I can pause when facing situations that must be met and decisions that must be made, and renew the simple request: “Thy will, not mine, be done.” I must always keep in mind that in every situation I am responsible for the effort and God is responsible for the outcome. I can “Let Go and Let God” by humbly repeating: “Thy will, not mine, be done.” Patience and persistence in seeking His will for me will free me from the pain of selfish expectations.