Daily Reprieve - December

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December 24

A CHANNEL OF HIS PEACE

"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." Psalm 40:1-2

"Lord, make me a channel of thy peace...that where there is despair, I may bring hope...that where there are shadows, I may bring light...that where there is sadness, I may bring joy." 12&12 p.99, Step Eleven

For what it's worth: My alcoholism certainly was a "slimy pit". I do not recall asking God, but, in His mercy, "He lifted me out...of the mud and mire" and "gave me a firm place to stand" in Alcoholics Anonymous. After years of sobriety, practicing the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, I was able to ask God to be a channel of his peace. God taught me through my own sober suffering the prayer of Saint Francis also applied to me. When sad, depressed, and even in the shadow of death, I have asked God to make me a channel of his peace, granting me strength to climb out of the "mud and mire" and work with Him to bring hope and joy into my life. I have had to wait patiently at times, but he always hears my cry.

God bless you.
Joe W.