The Great Exchange

What can I do? I feel so helpless. When I try to help, I end up enabling the very behaviors I want to see go away. I either do too much, or I feel like I am not doing enough.

There is a great exchange that needs to take place before recovery can truly move forward.

If you are dealing with your own addiction, you know the damage it has done to your body and soul. If you have a loved one in addiction, you may have unforgiveness, anger, despair, maybe even grief.

We feel helpless. Powerless.

But God…

We are not helpless! We are not powerless!

We can pray.

There is a great exchange that needs to take place for all of us.

Prayer is simply talking to God. It is taking what we are holding in our hands and placing it in His hands. The exchange happens when we intentionally give something to the Lord, and receive what He gives us in return.

Picture your loved one, perhaps your child. In your mind’s eye, see him or her as you used to hold them. I picture my son sitting on my lap. Now see Jesus. He is standing right there with you. See yourself physically hand your loved one over to the arms of Jesus. He holds them, embraces them, loves them!

You can trust that He will take care of them.

You are not helpless! You have just done the most powerful thing possible- in prayer, you placed your loved one in the hands of Jesus!

Now don’t go anywhere! There is more! Jesus has something to give you in return. Look at Him- what is He giving you?

The great exchange happens when we intercede for ourselves or those we love. We take them to the Lord and trust Him to move on their behalf. What we often forget to do is wait for Him to complete the exchange!

Prayer is never one-sided. We give to God and He will always give back to us. His heart is big enough to handle it all.

There is a great exchange that needs to take place in each of us before recovery can move forward. We must exchange death for life. Will you do that? Choose to live, to really live?

Are you holding onto unforgiveness, fear, depression? Do you continue to struggle with anxiety, worrying about whether your child will live? We must be willing to hand over our own hearts, so that we can receive back all the love, joy, peace and hope that waits for us. Jesus meets us right where we are, with open arms ready for us to pray.

“He will care for the needy and neglected when they cry to Him for help. The humble and helpless will know His kindness, for with a father’s compassion He will save their souls. They will be rescued from tyranny and torture…

For their life- blood is precious in His eyes. (Psalm 72:12-14 TPT)”

So- what are you waiting for?