Lost in the Barrens: A Prayer for Drug Addiction

God, you know why people abuse drugs;
you’ve seen the cycles, spiralling downwards,
and all they have lost and left behind.
You know the relationships destroyed, the jobs abandoned,
the joy and easy enjoyment of life itself, gone.
You have seen despair and self-hatred grow
as they struggle with impulses they can’t control.
If only it was as easy as “Just say no.”
You know the evil networks that crisscross our communities,
systems of manufacturing and trafficking
that ensnare and crush lives and dreams.
Jesus, can you meet us here?
Can you break through, reaching in and saving those
who are waiting for their next fix, chained to their supplier? 
We need fresh ways of living like a river in spring–
grace flowing in an unstoppable torrent.
We need new ways of living, new habits, new healthy passions.
We trust that you can flow through our lives just like that.
We need your wisdom in the agonizing choices
facing those accompanying those with addictions:
when to confront and when to comfort,
when to accommodate and when to draw the line.
God of hope, preserve us from hopelessness.
Strengthen our bonds of love as we journey together.
Guide our feet into the way of peace:
help us believe that there is a way of peace
for each person lost in the barrens of addiction.